App dubbed the Uber of parcels hoping to ease courier delivery woes
12/05/2020
The huge demand for courier deliveries has meant businesses are struggling to stock their shelves, but it's hoped a courier app dubbed the Uber of parcels will be able to help ease the back log.
With courier drivers overloaded, orders for convenience store Night 'n Day, which usually arrive overnight, are taking up to five days.
“It’s definitely impacting us ‘cause our top-selling lines are the ones that we're struggling to get, especially the cigarettes,” Night ‘n Day’s Hamish Garrick said.
“People do tell you that they'll go elsewhere and there's definitely a lot of competition around here.”
Tomatoes, too, are sometimes being left to rot amid an overwhelming increase in demand.
“Not only are they not getting to our customers fresh, they're not getting to our customers,” Curious Croppers’ Amelia Tringham said. “If they get stuck somewhere over the weekend, you are going to end up with tomato soup.”
New Zealand Post received its highest number of domestic packages ever last week, and is processing an average of over 200 parcels a minute.
The country's major delivery services all say they're working hard to get goods to both customers and businesses, with some taking on additional staff and others now operating 24 hours a day to cope with the demand.
"We're seeing 200 per cent uplift in parcel volumes right across the country, and it doesn't appear to be relenting,” Aramex chief executive Scott Jenyns said.
It’s hoped app Blu Courier could also help ease the pressure.
The app, dubbed the Uber of parcels, allows people working flexible hours who can provide a delivery service to carry out residential deliveries, allowing courier companies to focus on businesses.
“Spare time, earn some extra cash, so it's easy. I can work my own hours,” Blu Courier’s Ryan Collins said.
“At the moment, it's full work at all times, basically got unlimited packages.”
"It won't be like that forever, but for now, it's not ideal," Mr Garrick said.