The expansion of the activity of online stores is gaining more and more serious momentum every year. If you believe the forecasts, then in the coming decades they will nullify all existing sales of non-food products, carried out today on such significant sales platforms as shopping centers, megastores, supermarkets, markets and other trading platforms. A huge number of various services available for use by a wide audience of consumers provide for the purchase of goods and services by those who wish exclusively through Internet services. Among them, the PickPoint email service is a universal intermediary between the seller and the buyer. Reviews about the delivery, timing, service of the company, as well as its immediate advantages and disadvantages are rather mixed.
About company
For the first time, Russians heard about PickPoint mail delivery in November 2010, when the first functional post office of this service was installed in the Moscow-City international business center near the Shevchenko embankment. This service is known as one of the pioneers of the new delivery channel, built on a system of automated self-service terminals. PickPoint Logistics Center provides a new generation of services, delivering online orders through pedestals and points of delivery. The postamates relatively recently declared their existence on the territory of the Russian Federation - these are modern terminals equipped with an automated system, thanks to which you can pay for your parcel and receive it directly at the production point. Visually, such terminals are a wall of orange-colored drawers with a central installation machine that contains all the information for entering data and depositing funds. In appearance, it looks like the most ordinary terminal, thanks to which we replenish the mobile account or the balance of the Internet provider every day, so using it is quite easy.
Since the advent of the delivery service in Moscow to this day, the company has not simply expanded: the network of PickPoint terminals has distributed consumer access points to the automated system in each regional center of the country. As of June-July 2014, almost 90% of all well-known online stores existing at that time and included in the hundred most recognizable points of sale online, have already connected to PickPoint.
To date, service performance indicators surprise with their impressive numbers:
- the number of pedestals in Russia, as well as points of direct issue of orders - 3416 pcs .;
- the number of regional deployment locations for postamates - more than 540 cities and towns of the Russian Federation;
- the level of online stores connected to PickPoint service is about 5.5 thousand units;
- consumer base (users of postal services) - about 5.2 million people.
PickPoint lawmakers position themselves as the foremost service of a cutting-edge way for consumers to receive online orders. But not all users respond to the services of a popular service in a positive way. So, reviews about PickPoint, points of delivery and the level of automated service were divided into groups with opposite opinions. But first things first.
Appointment
Speaking about the main purpose of this delivery service, it should be noted that the focus is exclusively on the provision of virtual communications services between the supplier and the end user. The intermediary role that PickPoint performs between the online store and the customer is a priority in the functioning of the delivery service as a whole. This is not ordinary mail, which involves the movement of letters, parcels and parcels from one point on the territory of Russia to another. This is a loophole of commercial activity, which involves working solely on the basis of buying and selling between the seller and the buyer, the transaction between which is carried out virtually, through Internet communications.
In the world of rapidly developing Internet marketing, where online clothing, footwear, and cosmetics stores are rapidly expanding the spectrum of their functional consumer orientation, PickPoint is a rather convenient intermediary. Judge for yourselves: when ordering a dress you like on your favorite service or wanting to buy a new spinning in the usual online fishing tackle store, the user understands that he will have to wait for the parcel for a while, then go after it to the nearest post office and wait there for his turn (and in the case of Russian Post, this process takes a rather large amount of time). According to user reviews of PickPoint, postamata significantly simplify the process of receiving an online order. This is equivalent to the fact that today a person is able to independently choose the products that he liked in a supermarket: he chose the right position on the rack, read the label himself, felt and touched the goods himself, in a word, did everything on his own, and not with the help of the seller goods behind the counter. A similar work scheme is provided for by PickPoint's main purpose: the recipient independently pays for his goods through an automated terminal system and takes it from the corresponding cell in the same way. That's all - easy and simple.
Benefits
But what is the fundamental difference between this delivery service and such familiar mail systems as Boxberry, Maxi Express, SPSR and, most importantly, Russian Post? Representatives of PickPoint service assure usability, convenience and speed of delivery functionality. But what are the priority areas in the company’s activities that are noted by users and employees in their reviews? PickPoint has several advantages over other delivery services:
- The first and most important thing is self-service: he ordered goods in an online store, went to the pedestal himself, paid for it and took the package from the cell himself.
- Second: the ability to pick up your order at any time convenient for you, the terminals are available almost around the clock (if it is a post office, not a pick-up point), which is certainly very convenient for people who work from morning to evening and are limited in time.
- Third: there is no need to wait in line for excruciating hours, because in order to pick up the parcel, you do not need to wait for the actions of slow operators looking specifically for your position in the mail warehouse.
- Fourth: the wide-spectrum branching of access points. Postamata and distribution points are located in each regional center, in all shopping complexes, where there is a high daily traffic and a large flow of people. This allows you to pick up your order without much difficulty with transport around the city in search of a post office.
- Fifth: you can always find out at what stage the parcel is moving, for this a special PickPoint service is provided - order tracking.
Among other things, a significant advantage is the speed of delivery - moving the order from the store to the point of delivery or postamata is carried out in a fairly short time, it all depends on the corresponding distance. But the fact of quick response of PickPoint system is noted by users. Moreover, delivery is completely free for the buyer. Significant dignity, isn't it? All procedures for paying for services are assigned specifically to the online store, which concludes a contract for the provision of services with a delivery service. As a result, the store either takes the costs for itself, including the costs of sending orders to the cost of its products, or in the conditions of the order on its website leaves information about the cost of delivery services, determining its level independently. But specifically, the PickPoint service does not pay the goods recipient.
disadvantages
However, not all PickPoint postal reviews are so rosy and positive. There are those who were extremely dissatisfied with the automated service, and there are many of them. Users complain about the following major flaws in the logistics service system:
- Underdeveloped technical support functionality. Parcel recipients often note the inability to reach the operators either the first or the second time, which causes some bewilderment and irritation among customers.
- Possible redirects due to congestion of postamates. It often happens that there are not enough cells at the delivery point indicated by the client - they are all occupied with other orders that arrived earlier. Then the PickPoint service operators call and ask to re-select the selected delivery location to another access point, which, of course, is not very convenient.
- Damage to the postamates and the inoperability of the terminal. It happens that the automated system fails and the recipients have to wait a few days to fix it, respectively, the time it takes to receive an order is delayed.
- The terminal does not give change. Having lowered the banknotes into the bill acceptor, it will not be possible to pick up the change. But there is good news in this regard - money arrives almost at the same minute on the balance of the recipient's mobile phone.
- Periodic difficulties with return. The system provides for the return of unsuitable goods through PickPoint, but in order to avoid defects in the automated system, it is better to do this at points of delivery where there is service personnel, and not specifically through the post office. So more reliable.
In short, over the years, PickPoint has gained many adherents among users. But for many people, the work of the service causes apprehension and mistrust after experienced incidents and unpleasant stories associated with the unsuccessful receipt of parcels through this delivery service. In addition, recipients in reviews often complain about the boorish attitude of PickPoint employees: many operators, according to consumers, respond extremely indifferently, not trying to help the client and not getting into his problem.
The service workers themselves, who provide services and carry out their labor activity here, note the average level of wages and the normal, unbiased average statistical attitude of management to staff. In their reviews, PickPoint LLC employees noted the cleanliness of the office, the presence of an access control automated system, and quite decent improvement of the working interior.
How to use
Well, and, of course, the most interesting is the direct use of the service. How is the process of acquiring a purchase in an online store through an intermediary represented by PickPoint? How to use this delivery server?
- Initially, you need to make a choice of goods in your favorite store that operates on-line, and select PickPoint, respectively, in the list of delivery methods that opens.
- In the list of access points to pedestals and points of delivery of parcels, you need to choose the most convenient for yourself at the location.
- When the order arrives at the desired address, PickPoint will send a notification to the mobile phone number specified by the buyer earlier.
That's all - the process is pretty simple. From the moment of placing an order, you can observe your own package by entering the relevant information on the pickpoint.ru website. In the reviews, many also mention the ability to track the package through a special mobile application.
Tracking
Thanks to a specially developed application for users, PickPoint service provides the ability to quickly access your personal account and track your own parcels, as well as their movement. This simplifies the process of controlling the movement of goods ordered in the online store: you do not need to call the supplier or the service operators specifically to find out at what stage of delivery the order is located. For tracking, you just need to register the application and attach it to your phone number, after which you will immediately have the opportunity to follow information about all orders, the location of the pedestals, the schedule of the points of issue, possible payment options. Among other things, you can consider a photo gallery with locations for PickPoint terminals.
Tracking orders using the application enables users to:
- extend the shelf life of the parcel on a pedestal;
- Redirect shipping from one delivery point to another;
- track the status of the package;
- to lay a route on the map to the desired postamata or point of delivery of parcels;
- to study the list of online stores by filtering by category or keywords in a search engine;
- view the instructions for receiving the parcel and even save it on your phone.
The timing
As for the delivery time, many are happy with the speed of the service. But some in their reviews of PickPoint and the timing of the services of the carrier respond extremely unflattering. This is often associated with periodically occurring system failures, but sometimes the cause may be a problem that occurred with the sending from the supplier, namely the online store. And then all questions specifically from the PickPoint service are removed. You can also track the moment a product is registered by the delivery service in the PickPoint application.
The period of delivery of goods from the supplier to the final consumer is indicated on the website (or in the application) in business days. The term shall be calculated without taking into account specifically the day of acceptance of the shipment from the store and until the determination of the order directly to the postamat (or point of issue). Also on the official website of the delivery service there are two active buttons, clicking on which you can click on the link that opens the files for consumers with a list of possible routes for sending parcels to the main major cities and their regions, namely Moscow and St. Petersburg. Everyone can find out more accurate information on their order in the section "Delivery Monitoring" in their mobile application. Or you can check the information in the online store that is the supplier.
Points of issue
The deployment of pick-up points and pick-up points has significant branching throughout the country. Everyone can choose a specific receiving address for themselves, taking into account their own needs and convenience, and a mobile application to help. People speak differently about postamata and points of issue of orders: someone likes one way of receiving parcels, someone else. Some note that there is no need to contact the staff and the possibility of self-service, while someone is of the opinion that it is easier to discuss with the employee the details of the return of unsuitable goods. PickPoint accepts the return itself for processing, but this possibility depends solely on the contractual terms of service with the online store: if the supplier of the product provides for the possibility of returning it from the client, the delivery staff accepts the goods for return to the online store. If the store does not provide a return, the buyer will not be able to put an unsuccessful purchase in the postamata box or hand it to the PickPoint operator at the point of delivery of orders.
Getting
The direct procedure for receiving a parcel from a postamata takes less than one minute - this is one of the main advantages of the PickPoint service. How to get your package in a self-service terminal? Everything is very simple. To do this, you need to perform just a few simple steps:
- First you need to wait for a notification from the PickPoint email service to your phone: this will be an SMS message with a verification code.
- The next step is to follow the point of delivery specified in advance or the pedestal for the direct collection of the parcel. It is important to remember that from the moment you receive an SMS notification until the parcel is sent back to the sender, the recipient has only three days - during this period he must pick up his order. Otherwise, it will be automatically sent back to the online store.
- Once in front of the terminal, you need to enter the appropriate data (code from a previously received message). It is quite easy to do this, since the interface of the automated system is very convenient.
- The next step is to pay. Another advantage of this service is the ability to pay for the services of an online store in cash or by credit card. When depositing cash, it is important to remember that the terminal does not issue change. But if it so happened that for the calculation the customer does not have the amount on hand, the residual funds after payment will be automatically transferred to the payer's mobile account.
- After payment, an arrow appears on the screen indicating a specific cell containing the customer’s order. All that remains is to press the "Open Cell" key.
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- If the goods sent by the store did not fit, you can return it by putting it back in the cell and performing several manipulations using the steps described on the terminal board. But many prefer in this case to contact the points of delivery of orders, where this procedure can be carried out by a specific person - an employee of PickPoint. A refund in a few days will be delivered to the supplier, if the store even provides the customer with the opportunity to refuse unsuitable goods.
Franchise
Also noteworthy is the fact that anyone can join the PickPoint innovative logistics project group, making investments in its development, namely acquiring a franchise from the company. To become a participant in the fast-growing e-commerce market is quite easy: as they say, there would be money. Potential franchisees (franchise buyers) note two positive points that distinguish PickPoint from other franchisors:
- no need for a lump-sum payment - the investor will not make a fixed amount of funds under the concession agreement;
- lack of need to pay royalties - PickPoint does not require the franchise buyer to pay royalties for the use of the company's brand and patent.
How is this procedure carried out? PickPoint offers to purchase an automated parcel terminal (that is, a postamata), through which, in fact, the delivery and reception of items ordered by customers of online stores of items is realized. What the franchisor offers:
- equipment: self-service terminal and a wall with cells;
- providing a flow of parcels (already on the third or fourth day after installation, potential orders begin to go into circulation and bring in franchisee earnings);
- related consulting services.
The latter include a training package and support in conducting business, assistance in calculating the terms and amounts of payback, the functions of choosing a location for installing pedestals, technical support and related collection services, as well as a personal account with a practical and convenient system for remote control and monitoring of technical condition equipment.
But not everything is as smooth as it seems at first glance. In PickPoint franchise reviews, many investors point out a number of requirements that apply to franchise buyers. What are these requirements?
- A potential partner must be registered as a legal entity with the tax authorities.
- An investment contribution to the acquisition of a franchise is 900,000 rubles.
- The location of the postamata should be at the point of free access for consumers: the transport interchange should be convenient, the internal location should correspond to practical and easy self-service.
- The working hours of the premises in which the pedestal is set should be as flexible and convenient as possible for users of postal delivery, namely, at least ten day hours. At best, this is a 24-hour work schedule.
It should be noted that in their reviews, entrepreneurs, like all users of PickPoint, are divided into two camps: adherents and antagonists. Those who like to cooperate with this logistics center, note the possibility of reaching a payback period of 6-8 months if the post office or point of issue will be in the right place. Although the company claims self-sufficiency in terms of approximately 3-4 months. But many opponents of this type of investment, which are “burnt out” in such a business, say that you need to seriously approach the place of deployment of the installation postam. Since if it is staged in a place remote from the daily throughflow of people, it will simply be unprofitable and will not bring the profit that the franchisor speaks of.
Address
As mentioned earlier, the points of placement of pedestals and points of delivery of parcels have a huge list of addresses in different regions of the country. It is worth noting that the main office of the logistics center is located at the following address: Moscow city, Volgogradsky prospect, building 42, building 23.
Among other things, the company’s official telephone number is provided on the official website, as well as the numbers and email addresses of the press center, sales department and network development department (this is just about the post offices and points of issue).
Potential applicants for a position in the logistics center who visited the central office mostly respond positively to the welfare of office space reserved for the commercial complex. This is also evidenced by the employees themselves in reviews of PickPoint. “Tekstilshchiki” - this is the name of the metro station, which is located closest to the logistics center. A positive point, judging by the comments of eyewitnesses, is that from the station to the office itself, the staff carries a free shuttle bass, which is very convenient, since the road to the center is not distinguished by the presence of a pedestrian sidewalk.
Opinions
PickPoint is a promising young company operating in the field of services, logistics, transportation and storage of goods sold by online stores. The main orientation of the company is the automation of the delivery process and the promotion of self-service postal services. The company considers its motto to be responsiveness, speed and convenience, calling its services “smart delivery”. But opinions on this subject were divided among users.
Owners of online stores are mostly satisfied with the PickPoint mail delivery service. The conclusion of the contract occurs on mutually beneficial conditions. Delivery is not paid by the end user, but by the online store itself. Already at his discretion, he chooses to impose financial costs on the buyer separately, based on accounts received from the delivery service, or to initially include payment for services under the contract in the cost of his products. Here is the choice behind the online store. But in general, the work of delivering products by suppliers is rated above average.
As for the recipients of the parcels - the buyers using the products of online stores, here the opinions were divided equally. Some believe that the service deserves respect and the functioning of the automated system is carried out at its best. Others are extremely dissatisfied with the constant interruptions in the operation of terminals and boxes for storing parcels; they rate the quality of delivery low. Be that as it may, PickPoint's pick-up and point-of-delivery services are currently used by a huge number of people, and it continues to grow. The speed and ease of receiving your package from this company cannot be taken away.
Among businessmen who are ready to invest in a young company, there is also no consensus. Some consider this a truly profitable business and a good investment, others call the purchase of a franchise a waste of time and money. However, one can argue here, because it all depends solely on where exactly the postamata will stand. It is clear that an entrepreneur who buys equipment for himself and installs it in the suburbs outside the MKAD is unlikely to quickly pay back his investments and start making a profit on this. If you choose the right place to install the postam, it can bring its owner serious income without any significant effort.
The opinion of the company’s employees is also divided: in forums, many people leave negative comments, arguing that they are biased by the indifference of management to circumstances that may prevent the employee from entering the workplace. The rest refute this opinion, explaining this by the fact that, like in any company, PickPoint respects business labor discipline.