Foto: DB AG / Oliver Lang
Box – Die Abholstation is Deutsche Bahn’s Click&Collect service. It offers travellers and commuters a convenient and sustainable service for receiving and returning items at train stations. With around 5,400 stations across Germany and 21 million travellers every day, train stations are a central place in daily life. And this is exactly where Box – Die Abholstation comes in, with over 400 locations in Germany. The pick-up stations are located at local public transport stations, can be used flexibly in terms of time and thus fit perfectly into the customer’s travel chain.
As a retailer, you benefit from the reach of the highly frequented locations and the Germany-wide network. Consignments can be delivered to the üick-up stations regardless of the parcel service provider meaning that retailers can either use their own logistics or the parcel service provider of their choice for delivery – giving them maximum flexibility.
More information about the service can be found here.
Copyright: Smart City | DB; Foto: DB AG / Oliver Lang
For retailers: Easy to use in the online shop or stationary
As a retailer, you can decide how you want to use the Click&Collect service from Box – Die Abholstation. We present our various use cases to you.
For online shop and marketplace retailer:
If you operate an online shop or marketplace, we recommend the fully automated integration of pick-up stations as shipping options in your existing eCommerce system. This allows end customers to select one of Box – Die Abholstation‘s locations as the delivery address during the ordering process. This is mainly used when the customer knows that they will not be at home during the usual delivery times of CEPs (courier, express and parcel services). This not only saves time, costs and CO2e, but also makes traditional doorstep delivery by logistics providers redundant. Thanks to the optimal location at central public transport locations, the customer can collect the order along his daily routes at the preferred time and does not have to travel to the various drop-off points of the CEPs.
For operators of stationary retail:
Do you operate a bricks-and-mortar store that is close to a Box – Die Abholstation? Then we have the solution for you. With the online booking portal from Box – Die Abholstation, you are ready to go and can use the service directly in your store from your PC, smartphone or tablet, regardless of the operating system.
Here is an example of how our partner Hornbach uses our service:
Customers can order their products online from a Hornbach branch by 11 a.m. and collect them from 3 p.m. on the same day from one of the Box – Die Abholstation locations – depending on which one is near them or on their way home from work.
We call this use case Store2Locker, an alternative to the classic Click&Collect approach. This is because the goods are delivered directly from the shop to the parcel locker locations. In this example, Hornbach decides flexibly and as required whether to use an internal or external logistics provider for delivery. And the best thing is that customers don’t have to travel to the shop to pick up their order but can have it conveniently delivered to where they already go every day. This is quicker than ordering it online and more convenient than travelling to the shop and buying it there.
DB Kinderleicht – for an optimal integration into the travel chain
We would like to introduce you to another use case for Box – Die Abholstation, which is similar to the classic online shop concept, but differs in terms of its use. DB Kinderleicht is a service developed in cooperation with the Berlin-based company nomadi. nomadi offers children’s accessories for hire, such as buggies, child seats and toys, in its online shop.
In this case, the collaboration with Box – Die Abholstation is aimed at giving travellers with children the opportunity to pick up their rented pushchair directly at the station on arrival and return it at exactly the same place on departure. This is how it works: nomadi’s end customers who are planning a (short) trip to Berlin and need equipment for their (small) children can borrow the items and have them delivered directly to a packing station, for example at Berlin Central Station. This reduces the amount of luggage you have to carry, avoiding the hassle of carrying it around – efficiency and convenience are in harmony.
Customers simply select the parcel locker as the delivery address at checkout and can easily remove the goods from the locker on the day of arrival using a QR code. If the items are no longer needed on departure, they can simply be returned to the locker. By hiring travel equipment for parents, nomadi is expanding its range of services exactly where they are needed most – at railway stations.
New concept: deposit before release
Who hasn’t been there? A new video game is released or your favourite author brings out a new book, but before you can buy it you have to queue for ages – only to find that you can’t get hold of the product at all. This can now come to an end with Box – Die Abholstation.
We are currently working with selected partners to test the concept of depositing orders at a Box – Die Abholstation location before the release date. The products are to be deposited in advance in a specific region or postcode area and selected consumers will be given the option of picking up the product from the locker on release – without any delivery or waiting times.
Foto: Smart City | DB / Ogilvy
If you are interested in a cooperation, please contact the sales team at Box – Die Abholstation ([email protected]). They will deal with your enquiry promptly and get back to you. After technical activation, you can create a customer account and benefit from the Click&Collect service as well as the comprehensive network at highly frequented public transport locations.
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