Smart cities combine the best of both worlds – engineering excellence and sustainability by design for the rising global population.  

Of the 7 billion people across the world, more than 4 billion dwells within the bounds of urban infrastructure. And this number is projected to rapidly increase by 2050. With such bloated numbers, the volumetric package movement has also gone up dramatically. E-Commerce is accelerating at a never-before-seen pace.  

People are ordering packages online more than ever before (even more so since the pandemic wave resided!). However, with only limited touchpoints and limited resources, efficient last-mile deliveries to the urban hotspots have become a complex issue – a true growth stagnation nightmare for logistics companies, carriers, and last-mile movers.  

Though, the tables are yearning to be turned soon! 

Smart Package Lockers are proving to be the ultimate ‘high throughput’ system to absorb a massive volume of last-mile packages, housing them all securely, and making sure that they always reach their rightful owner.  

Smart Cities and Smart Package Lockers 

For a smart city to be truly worthy of its title, it is not just the infrastructure and the ‘advanced’ civil engineering that counts, but the overall ease and quality of life of the citizens that live there. These are reflected through simple, yet highly effective systems that tackle modern urban-dwelling challenges like a pro.   

 

How Smart Package Lockers Pave Way for True Smart Cities? 

Smart cities obviously call for smarter buildings. And a building is not smart until it is equipped with a Smart Package Locker System. Let us see the ‘what’ behind this bold statement before we move to ‘how’ and ‘why’ of it.  

Smart package lockers are end-to-end IoT combo of hardware and software. The hardware contains locker units (that come in different shapes and sizes), and the software controls all the user and admin interactions within the system.  

Carriers can simply go to the locker, enter information on the touchscreen kiosk, and place the package securely within the locker compartment. The recipient is notified on the other end with an OTP (One Time Password) and can collect the package at any time, 24×7. 

The same process follows for returning a package.  

 

How Exactly Does the ‘High Throughput’ Factor Work? 

It must be noted that every single package drop/pickup takes less than 15-seconds (A common observation by our users of Smartbox Lockers) as opposed to 4-6 minutes of single package processing via traditional method.  

Call is 24x higher productivity or simply 24x reduction in time-to-deliver last-mile parcels for any carrier. For upcoming and proposed smart city plans, integration of Smartbox package locker systems can unlock new growth avenues for logistics and overall customer experience.  

How Smart Lockers Make for Smarter Cities? 

Placement of integrated smart lockers in private and public spaces can be a boon for any flourishing city. Here are the reasons why smart lockers can lay a solid foundation for upcoming and growing smart cities.  

Decreased Carbon Footprint 

It is a no-brainer that every last-mile package must travel through an intricate network of roads via a vehicle (most probably powered by gasoline) to reach its destination.  

Commercial transportation involved in transits of last-mile deliveries must drop loads of them along their route. On average, they make anywhere from 30% to 60% traffic in the most densely populated hotspots of the world. Imagine the Carbon Footprint yield at present! 

Installing smart package locker systems like Smartbox in suitable public and private hotspots can dramatically cut down on the commercial traffic roundtrips – effectively minimizing tons of carbon footprint.  

 

Enhanced Multifamily Living Experience 

Let us face it – multifamily living is a universal trend in urban living and is bound to grow globally in many decades to come. But with high-rise and closely packaged apartments comes the need to handle the packages belonging safely and efficiently to the dwellers.  

On average, a 200-unit multifamily unit usually employees one to three staff personnel who would handle mailroom chaos. Though, the math of it makes things difficult. For instance, the average time taken to process (Unload-Entry-Building Register-Drop-off-Next package) a single package ranges anywhere from 4-6 minutes. 

For handling 50 packages per day (assuming no peak season!), it would take the staff anywhere between 200 minutes (3.3 Hours) to 300 minutes (5 Hours) every day to handle all these packages. Not to mention, there can be instances of misplaced, damaged, and even lost packages occasionally. 

Simply put, smart parcel lockers mitigate these challenges of manual package handling like a pro. Here is why; 

1. It takes less than 15 seconds to drop-off/pick up a single package with smart lockers  

1. Packages are always accounted for and secure within the anti-theft locker ecosystem 

What this solves for the property managers and admins is that the last-mile package processing becomes automated, saving them thousands of person-hours and dollars annually. Moreover, the residents can live with peace of mind – knowing that they can collect their package 24×7 with a secure OTP, and that the package will be in a secure MINT CONDITION.  

It will not be a surprise if you witness higher tenant retention at your property due to the extreme convenience of smart package locker amenities.  

 

Porch Piracy? NEVER! 

Many cities have recently begun to experience the phenomenon of ‘porch piracy’ or ‘porch theft’ or ‘porch loot.’  

As the term suggests, vulnerable packages and parcels lying out at the front door, lobby, or buildings with unattended security are easy targets for porch thieves. At the slightest moment of opportunity, they will fly away with any number of packages they can get their hands on.  

Porch piracy has become so common, that 41% of people would rather avoid shopping online during the holiday season, while 20% of them would prefer to arrive home early to receive their ordered valuables. 

Smart package locker systems avert this threat easily. With end-to-end secure and contactless package transfer, multiple security systems like surveillance camera, alarm system, and OTP access make smart parcel lockers a boon for regions ridden with porch piracy.  

 

Excited to see how Smartbox package lockers can fulfill your last-mile delivery automation needs?

Every Smartbox locker system is fully customized, white-labeled, and offers top of the line features like;

✅Secure Hardware – Tamper-proof and anti-theft locker compartments with internally hinged doors.  

✅ Encrypted Software – Safely store user data, access locker compartments with OTP, and monitor all locker units via a cloud dashboard, with full peace of mind.  

✅ Unparallel Customer Support – Pre-sales and post-sales customer service on-demand, 24×7, like never before.  

✅ Full OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) Partnership Support – Smartbox will become your full technical and non-technical OEM partner for Smartbox locker systems, no matter what the scale!  

 

Schedule a demo call for Smartbox now and see it in action! Connect with our team to know your ROI and other details for our loved smart locker system. 

Stay tuned for our next blog 🔜