As part of its plans to turbo charge its Collect+ service, PayPoint has appointed Gary Winter to the newly created role of Parcel Services Director, charged with significantly growing the network of retailers participating in the scheme.
A new role has been specially created for you Gary, but why now?
PayPoint felt that they needed a dedicated Parcel Services Director because we are very keen to widen the usage of the Collect+ network, which is already the industry-leading service in the UK and has been since it was launched around 8 years ago. The latest move was prompted by an agreement between PayPoint and Yodel last year which opens the Collect+ service to other parcel carriers for the first time, so that more retailers and consumers can benefit from the convenience of Collect+.
Can you explain how Yodel were involved in the first place?
Collect+ had in fact been a joint venture between PayPoint and Yodel, and a very successful one, but last year we struck a new agreement that would allow us to broaden the network and bring more retailers on board.
You have experience in this field, then?
Yes, I’ve worked in the eCommerce and delivery industry for around 17 years and have held senior positions with a number of UK parcel carriers including UK Mail, Royal Mail/Parcelforce and Hermes. I am, and have always been, passionate about the customer experience.
Specifically, what is your challenge as Parcel Services Director?
My role is to make the industry leading Pick Up/Drop Off network available to as many on-line shoppers as possible, regardless of who they shop with. That means working with more retailers and more carriers to increase the reach of this service and the value that it brings to their businesses.
Do you have a set target in mind for the number of retailers you would like to add?
There are over 29,000 retailers using PayPoint across the UK and of those, over 6,200 participate in Collect+. My aim is to take that number over the 7,000 mark this year. To achieve that, we need more parcels and we need more eCommerce partners, which is why we are evolving the network – for everyone’s benefit.
What will the benefits to retailers be?
In a nutshell, more parcels means more footfall means more profit. The average amount of money that a Collect+ customer spends in-store over and above the Collect+ transaction is £3.30. Over 53% of customers using Collect+ have never been in that store before. Over 60% of customers have never used Collect+ before and over 80% of those surveyed said they would re-use the service.
Is Scotland a focus for your growth strategy?
Very much so! Our reach in Scotland is very important to us. It’s a challenging geography to service, obviously, so it’s vital that we are there to ensure that these services are available to as wide an audience as possible.
