Q1 product release highlights – reacting to global customer insights

We work closely with carriers, posts and retailers around the globe to make ecommerce delivery and returns better. That requires us to understand what our customers are experiencing, what their customers are asking for, and what consumers need in markets around the world. These insights then shape our product development, aiming to make the first and last mile a better experience for consumers, more effective for merchants and more efficient for carriers.

This quarter, we took some of that insight and customer feedback, delivering a new kiosk product that helps our customers automate parcel drop-offs in all PUDO locations. Plus, we also enhanced our PUDO and Digital Returns products through new consolidation and payment features.

The Self-Service Kiosk is our automated parcel drop-off solution, allowing customers to quickly drop off parcel sends and returns, and allowing PUDO locations, post offices and retail stores to offer these services without overburdening their staff. This quarter, we’ve created a new kiosk that will fit into more varied locations, as well as a Software Development Kit (SDK) to help our customers customise the user journey.

We found that many of our customers were interested in the time-saving benefits of our Kiosks, but some of their PUDO locations lacked space to deploy a full-size verison. So, we’ve created the lightweight and adaptable Counter-Top Kiosk, which allows for the same benefits of automation and a fully accessible user journey to drop off parcels, but in a form factor that fits easily into small locations.

Consumers can quickly drop off their parcels with a QR code scanner, intuitive touchscreen interface and label printer. With our enhanced UI, consumers can complete a drop-off journey in as little as 30 seconds. Like the full-size Drop-Off Kiosk, it comes with automated customer communications and tracking events, plus the capacity for aggregated data analysis for the carrier.

Quick, easy and intuitive – see how consumers can drop off parcels in seconds below.

A major feature requested by our customers was the ability to create custom user interfaces that could be quickly changed to respond to consumer needs – without internal teams needing to get up to speed with new hardware and a complex set of components.

So, we set to work. Our new Software Development Kit makes it far easier to integrate your software with our kiosk.

The Doddle PUDO Platform powers the creation, roll out and management of a PUDO network. Our tools help add new locations, improve the customer experience, and increase parcel volume into PUDO.

This quarter, we’ve added a new feature to our store app to help host staff confirm payment and reduce any informational gaps in the journey.

Payment on delivery is a common consumer expectation in many markets. Some of our clients wanted to offer the same service on collection, which required communication between the host location, carrier and merchant.

Our new payment feature enables this service as part of the pick-up flow. Added to the store app, this feature prompts the host staff to request payment before handing over a collection. Then the associate either confirms the payment has been taken or cancels the transaction when needed.

Our Digital Returns product supports the entire returns process, from post-purchase communications and returns booking to refund authorisation. This quarter, we’ve added drop-off location promotions within the digital returns journey to help drive volume and footfall to specific drop-off locations. 

Building an amazing network of PUDO locations is great, but if consumers aren’t made aware of these options, they’re unlikely to use them, resulting in low or uneven volume. So, we developed a solution to promote specific locations in the returns booking journey, maximising consumer awareness of key drop-off locations.

This encourages parcel consolidation in the network, but also promotes the fact that these locations are available for collections and parcel drop-off.

Selected locations appear first in the list of suggested drop-off points during the consumer returns journey, increasing the likelihood that they’re used.

We’re starting 2023 strong and have many more exciting updates planned for the rest of the year. So, keep an eye out as we continue innovating and improving the Doddle platform.