04-21
Courier services in Hong Kong
Hong Kong is a
city with a land area of slightly more than 1100 square kilometers. However,
the majority of people live on the North Coast of Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon
Peninsula, and several new towns in the New Territories, making the city one of
the most densely populated places in the world. This is also the reason why our
homes are so small. Nevertheless, the special city structure also gives us a
lot of benefits. First, public transport is easily accessible and affordable.
Second, logistics can operate at a much lower cost as most people are either
living or working in the city areas.
Local couriers
are well-developed in the city. Because of the city’s unique structure, courier
companies only need to set up a few pickup points in the city center and they
can already serve more than 90% of the population. Pickup points can be a
parcel locker, a service center, or a cooperative store.
Parcel lockers
are automatic kiosks that operate 24 hours a day. People can pick up and send
their parcels through these lockers. They are very popular in the city and can
be found in many shopping malls, car parks, and roadsides. They look almost the
same anywhere in the world and I do not need to explain too much about them.
SF Express Parcel Locker
Alfred24 Parcel Locker
With only 13 lockers in the whole city,
Kerry has teamed up with the big boss SF Express to fully utilize the resources
Only larger
courier companies can afford to place parcel lockers in the city. Most parcel
lockers in Hong Kong belong to SF Express. Hong Kong Post, Cainiao 4PX, and
Alfred24 parcel lockers are also available. Others are rare. International
couriers like DHL or UPS only have a few parcel lockers here. They have a
strong delivery team and mainly provide door-to-door delivery services.
DHL Service Point
DHL Parcel Locker
Service centers
are stores run by the courier companies. People can pick up and send their
parcels through service centers. They are also the distribution centers for the
region. Since their operations require larger space, service centers are
normally located outside the high street area. Service centers are sometimes
roadside stores located in some quieter neighborhoods, around a 10-minute walk
from the high street. Some are located inside class C commercial buildings or
industrial buildings. Sometimes, picking up parcels from service centers can be
quite an adventure. Since the majority of Hongkongers do not drive, it is not
exactly convenient to reach a service center. Therefore, they are not as
popular as parcel lockers. Again, only larger courier companies can afford to
set up service centers in the city. Smaller companies only have one or two
distribution centers in the industrial areas.
This 4PX Service Center locates inside a class C commercial building
There is hardly any ornamentation inside
The only things are a laptop and many shelves full of goods
Cooperation
stores can be anything from a bookstore, a boutique, to a barbershop. For some
extra income, sometimes store owners would like to team up with courier
companies and convert their stores into pickup points. Some even allow sending
parcels from their shops. This is actually a win-win situation. Courier
companies can expand their network without investing too much to set up
different stores around the city. And those small businesses can have some
extra income. Some even found that they are earning more by providing courier
pickup services and ended up totally giving up their original businesses, like
the DVD store next to my apartment block. Normally, cooperation stores are
located in smaller shopping malls or commercial buildings. Their locations are
closer to the neighborhood and also popular.
A cooperation store of Cainiao & 4PX
Its entrance was totally blocked by parcels
and parcel forwarders. Most of those names I have never heard of.
How about door-to-door delivery?
Sure, all couriers provide door-to-door delivery. And
for some smaller courier companies, this is the only delivery service they can
offer. But normally, small couriers only deliver to commercial buildings in the
city center. For delivery to other areas or residential buildings, they will
outsource the jobs to bigger partners and charge extra to their customers.
Courier delivery in CBD of Hongkong
You think your parcel is safe?
How about postal service?
Sure, postal service is essential. And post offices are still everywhere. However, due to competition with couriers and parcel forwarding, people use postal service much less than before. In the old days, when I wanted to send a parcel, the post office was the only way to go. Now, I can send a parcel in a barbershop! It is a totally different world now.
To
adapt to the changing market, Hong Kong Post has diversified its services in
the past few years. It has added courier services to its traditional postal
services. It has also partnered with other courier companies and made the post
office a pickup point for Alfred24 parcels. You can collect Alfred24 parcels
from any post offices in the city. Moreover, it has replaced its stamp vending
machines with Postage Label Vending Machines. The machine accepts electronic
payments and prints out postage labels in various denominations. You can also
find out the postage charge on the machine. As long as you have the weight of
your letter, you can buy the right amount of stamp and mail your letter
anytime.
Postbox and Postage Label Vending Machine
are available at the enterance of every post office
Postage Label Vending Machine at post office
Postage Label Vending Machine can also installed at larger postboxes
but they can be found almost everywhere in the city
To sum up, Hong Kong has a unique and efficient logistics system
that offers various pickup points for parcels. The city’s high density and
compact structure make this possible. Hong Kong’s logistics system shows the
city’s dynamic and adaptable nature.
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