Some 21% of the parcels delivered by major Romanian courier Sameday end in Easybox lockers, only two years after the company launched this service.

The lockdown period helped boost this delivery method and the payment by card instead of payment at delivery. However, the increase puts pressure on the existing infrastructure, and the company needs new partners, natural or legal persons, to host more Easyboxes, says Sameday CEO Lucian Baltaru, Economica.net reported.

The number of parcels delivered doubled to two million in April, compared to February before the pandemics, mainly as multi-channel suppliers shifted to the online channel, he explained.

Some 44% of the orders delivered in April were paid by card, compared to an average of 28-30% before the pandemic. Sameday expects the ratio to remain elevated, and this comes as natural since the customers gained confidence - the main obstacle for card payments.

Against the background of the rapid increase in delivery volumes, Sameday had to accelerate investments in expanding operational capacity to streamline the parcel flow. Between March and July, the company opened five new agencies, relocated two others, and expanded the courier teams by 20% nationally and by 35% in Bucharest.

Sameday is controlled by eMAG, the biggest online retailer in Romania.

andrei@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Sameday)