Dive Brief:
- UPS says it will expand its UPS Access Point service, adding 2,400 independent locations in 100 U.S. cities by December to bring its total number of Access Points to about 8,000.
- Consumers can opt to send their orders to a neighborhood Access Point, such as a dry cleaner or corner store, when they won’t be at home to take delivery personally.
- UPS introduced the service a year ago to overcome a weakness in e-commerce — that people are reluctant to buy if they won’t be at home to take delivery.
Dive Insight:
One-third (33%) of consumers told UPS they wanted alternative delivery options in its annual Pulse of the Online Shopper survey, up from 26% in 2014, when it launched the Access Point program. Now, the delivery specialist is expanding its Access Point service to more than 8,000 locations in 100 U.S. cities to encourage more customers to buy online.
Access Points provide consumers who aren’t home to accept a delivery with secure locations to pick up packages. “We listened to consumers who said they were not buying online because they didn’t have a secure delivery location,” Alan Gershenhorn, UPS executive vice president and chief commercial officer, said in a release. “By providing local options, we are improving the e-commerce delivery experience, which helps retailers and UPS.”
UPS can leave a sticky note indicating an Access Point pickup location if a delivery attempt fails, or shoppers worried about having a package stolen or compromised can designate an Access Point at checkout, aiding retail conversion. U.S. Access Points are located inside 4,400 UPS Stores, with the rest being independent local businesses looking for additional foot traffic, including many retailers.