The flat post box: for fast and secure delivery
4min read
05/10/2020
Figures from Comeos1 show that Belgian consumers have 64% of their online purchases delivered to their home.However, not all parcels are successfully delivered the first time.This causes extra costs for courier services who have to make the same journey the next day.And consumers are not always happy either because they have to wait an extra day.Yet the problem can easily be solved for the majority of these cases with a flat post box or shipping bags.They are suitable for letterboxes and guarantee successful delivery the first time around.You are happy, your customer is happy and everyone is happy!
Where the size, weight and value of your goods allow, use post boxes or mailing bags. They fit easily into a letterbox and make life much more pleasant for you and your customers (and cheaper too)
► The advantages for the consumer / recipient
- More successful deliveries and less hassle in planning a possible re-delivery.
- Parcels are not left in suspicious places or outside.
- Less risk of oversized packaging that would result in too much waste for the consumer
► Benefits for the supplier / consignee
- This packaging generally fits your product better than standard packaging, so you use much less packaging material in the end.
- With post boxes and shipping bags, you need little/no padding to protect your products, so it’s much cheaper for you!
- Less paperwork and complaints about new orders.
- Less storage space needed to store orders for return.
2. Mailing solutions for mailboxes
► The flat mailbox
Boxes that you can mail with the same ease as a letter? They exist! Take a look at the RAJA flat mailbox. These boxes are only 2.5 cm high, so they fit effortlessly into a standard mailbox. Read more about this in part 3 below. With a flat mailbox, you can basically pack any product that will fit through the opening of a mailbox. They are popular for sending textiles (such as clothing) and products that are too fragile to be sent in a shipping bag (such as certain fashion accessories or books with fragile corners).
► Shipping bag
A second popular solution is the shipping bag.Typically, it is made of tear- and water-resistant plastic (polyethylene).It is recyclable, flexible, and super lightweight, saving you considerable money on shipping costs.A shipping bag is ideal for sending soft goods that need little extra protection: clothing or fashion accessories and stuffed animals, for example.Finally, shipping bags are increasingly appearing in paper versions.They are usually made of very strong kraft paper.Simple and easily recyclable.
► Kraft pouch
A similar product to the plastic shipping bag is the kraft pouch. Use it to send books, notebooks, DVDs, CDs, A4 posters, etc. In short, all kinds of products that need a strong, non-folding protection. A kraft pouch usually has a quick closing system: either a closing flap or an adhesive closing strip.
3. What is the standard for mailbox sizes?
The European standard EN 13724:2002 standardises the dimensions of letterboxes throughout Europe, so that all standard mail can be delivered successfully: whether you are sending a letter to Father Christmas in the far north or to the Easter bells in Rome
- Opening slot = minimum length of 23 cm x height of 3 cm.
- Storage space (i.e. actual mailbox) = 27 x 15 x 38 cm.
ces “règles de la boîte aux lettres” ont été adaptées pour la dernière fois en Belgique en 2007. À cette époque, l’e-commerce n’en était qu’à ses débuts. À l’heure actuelle, beaucoup de choses ont changé. Les boutiques en ligne continuent de se développer et assurent l’envoi de dizaines de milliers de colis. Chaque jour, Bpost livre environ 175.000 colis en Belgique. Jusqu’à 19 % ne peuvent être livrés du premiercoup2.
De nouveaux développements sur le marché – tels que la “boîte à colis” – devront encore réduire ce pourcentage. Ce type de boîte aux lettres possède un large rabat dans lequel le facteur peut également déposer de plus gros colis. Faites déjà votre propre part et optez pour les boîtes postales de RAJA.
