Amazon and Royal Mail team up for Post Office collections

Amazon has partnered with Royal Mail to let customers have items delivered to their local Post Office for collection, rather than run the risk of being out when the postman or a courier attempts delivery at home.

Customers will be able to select their preferred pickup location at the end of the checkout process when ordering from the Amazon website, with 10,500 Post Office branches now available for selection. When heading to the Post Office for collection, some form of identification will be required.

The new service extends the number of Amazon pickup locations across the UK to over 16,000, which already included Amazon lockers at train stations, Collect+ shops and a ‘Pass my Parcel’ service at newsagents and supermarkets.

Some analysts have warned that Post Office opening hours could be an issue. Many main Post Office locations are closed on Saturday afternoons, making them less convenient than collecting from one of Amazon’s other collection points. The Post Office locations housed inside other shops usually open up to twelve hours a day, and others have trialled Sunday opening, however, so the Post Office nearest you may actually be more convenient.

The move marks Amazon’s continued push to become the most convenient way for customers to do their shopping. The company’s Prime subscription promises free next day delivery for most items, and it’s now possible to buy your groceries though the Amazon website.

It should also benefit the Royal Mail, which had warned earlier this month that online retailers were hurting its parcel delivery business. Estimates suggested that Amazon alone could dent the business by up to 2%, but this deal may help close that gap slightly. Neither Amazon nor the Royal Mail has revealed how much the deal is worth, but at the very least it will be good news for customers.