Competitor Watch
PayPoint has partnered with Amazon Hub Counter – a network of pick-up points that allows customers to collect their Amazon orders in-store.
Following successful trials, Amazon Hub Counter has gone live in more than 500 stores and will be rolled out in thousands of shops across the UK, combining online shopping with the convenience of accessing PayPoint’s wide network of retailers.
Amazon Hub Counter is available on tens of millions of items sold on amazon.co.uk. The service adds more choice and convenience for online shoppers by giving them the flexibility to pick up their parcels within 14 days from their chosen convenience store or high-street shop.
The Counter launched in the UK, Italy and the US earlier this year and has been positively received, driving strong customer engagement and additional foot traffic for partners.
Assunta Keenan, director of Amazon Hub in Europe, said: ‘We’re excited to be working with PayPoint on expanding the Counter service in the UK. This partnership allows us to offer even more choice and flexibility to Amazon customers while supporting small businesses around the country.’
In 2018, 72% of UK internet users said that they shopped online. According to Ofcom’s Communications Market Report 2018, this was up by three percentage points from 2017. The top two retail sites, Amazon and eBay, reached 89% and 69% of the UK online audience respectively.
This increase in e-commerce has triggered huge growth in the number of people operating small businesses from their own homes and selling items on marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay. These ‘front-room sellers’ are operating across the UK in both cities and rural areas, and rely on the efficient delivery of their products to boost their all-important marketplace rating.
We’re well placed to grab our share of the booming online market. Our parcel postboxes will help time-poor business people, enabling them to post their merchandise out of hours, rather than needing to wait for customer service points to open for business.
This is yet another example of how we are looking to innovate our existing products and services to better reflect the fast-changing market of e-commerce.
