Proudly Servicing Canadian Customers
by Michelle Hopkins, NEXTHOME
07/10/2019
Online shopping is exploding, driven mostly by Millennials who love the ease and convenience of home delivery. According to Opstart, in 2011, Canadians spent $6.6 billion on online purchases. By 2016, that amount tripled to $19.2 billion and is expected to rise to $39 billion this year.
It’s not only parcel distributions that are increasing. Canadians are embracing grocery and food deliveries, too. It hasn’t taken long for companies like Whole Foods, Skip the Dishes and Loblaw to jump on the E-Commerce bandwagon.
But as online shopping continues to grow, so do the issues with delivery. That’s because many residents aren’t home during the day to accept their parcels. Much of the delivery and security responsibilities falls onto a concierge, if there even is one, or packages are simply left in the lobby for residents to find and pick-up.
Concerns over theft and misplaced deliveries have become factors driving multi-family developers in B.C. to rethink the configuration of their condominium buildings.
Five years ago, Vancouver’s Bosa Properties was one of the first developers to introduced its BosaFresh program, special temperature-controlled delivery rooms in its new condo buildings.
“These cold storage rooms have now morphed into refrigerated lockers,” says Mark Kopinya, Bosa vice-president of development. “We are always thinking about how to create better living experiences in our condo towers.”
Bosa recently completed RiverSky, two towers in New Westminster with 519 condominiums, boasting both refrigerated and parcel lockers.
“As online shopping keeps increasing, we have had to adapt some of our new towers’ lobbies at the last minute,” says Kopinya. “As technology continues to evolve, we continuously watch trends to see what is required in our new projects. It’s all about Bosa wanting to make life easier and more seamless for our condo owners.”
Another local developer, Boffo Properties, is implementing an electronic locker system in the lobbies of its upcoming Coquitlam project, Smith & Farrow towers.
“In-building package delivery acceptance is no doubt a growing demand and something that homeowners are beginning to expect,” says Laura Anzulovich, Boffo Properties marketing manager. “The design of a building’s first-floor common area needs to be reconsidered to account for the space required for this influx of parcel delivery and storage. Today’s homeowners need somewhere to store their endless Amazon orders and keep their grocery delivery cold until they get home from work. The only way to respond to this demand is to incorporate new technology and systems, while eliminating manual sorting by a concierge and unpleasant mounds of boxes stacked in lobbies.”
Basically, lockers contain compartments of various sizes and some that are refrigerated, including a tower with a built-in touchscreen application that a courier would use to check-in packages.
“A resident of the building will get a text message notification that a package has arrived for them with a code to enter on the touchscreen when they retrieve the package,” notes Anzulovich. “This system eliminates the middle-man, keeps deliveries organized and allows for a seamless package pick-up for residents.”
Patrick Armstrong, CEO of Snaile Inc., an Ontario-based company that produces automated parcel lockers, says the “demand for refrigerated and parcel lockers in multi-residential buildings in B.C. has spiked greatly.
“Vancouver is on par with Toronto for installing parcel rooms or lockers in their new builds,” says Armstrong, adding lockers are typically located in the vestibule, lobby or courtyard. “We are also seeing demand for lockers in existing buildings because concierges just can’t handle the sheer volume of online parcel deliveries.”
Automated parcel lockers are not only convenient but secure.
“These lockers are very thick. They are bolted to both the floor and wall and are equipped with bank-like cameras,” says Armstrong. “With E-Commerce anticipated to be the largest retail channel by 2020, the need for these lockers will only continue to grow.”
"We have the Snaile lockers installed in my building. Love them!"
"The 1Valet and Snaile solution has changed how resident deliveries enter this building. ensures the seamless operation of the building for its residents. We have recorded zero incidents of theft and never see parcels or delivery cards lying around. This really is the way of the future"
"The lockers (Snaile) have been a welcomed addition by the tenants and delivery companies"
"I appreciate your speedy response to my email about the deleted text with my PIN! Thank you!"
"Our lockers are getting a lot of use, even more so since the pandemic."
"Thank you so much for everything! You (Snaile) are absolutely awesome to deal with"
"I am still receiving the positive feedback from tenants and couriers. Couriers are thrilled with the addition. Especially during this peak delivery season "
"We're very pleased with the new lockers, and getting some good feedback from the tenants. We also like the fact that we are using a Canadian company for this service."
"I was challenged to come up with new and more efficient ways of doing things when it came to accepting inbound and processing outbound packages, after much research, it was a no brainer to go with Snaile. The software is super user friendly and easy to navigate, and the support staff is also very helpful, friendly, and easy to deal with"
"You (Snaile) have been very supportive even though we have so many questions, we really appreciate your help"
"After evaluating parcel locker providers in Canada, Snaile demonstrated to us they have the right solution for the Canadian building industry."
"Collection of the package was flawless. Great system."
"Thank you (Snaile) kindly for all your support; you've been exceptionally efficient and helpful"
"I totally support the system and service. Especially so now, given the new rules with social distancing but also as the demand for home delivery continues to increase. I think Snaile is a valuable service, we all could benefit from it."
"Our Residents Love it!"
"We have had positive feedback from residents that it is a secure way to deposit packages. All packages have been received on a timely basis with no missing packages"
"We love the Snaile system. We currently have it in our 93-unit building in Guelph, Ontario and our 78-unit building in Breslau, Ontario."
"This is our 3rd year now with Snaile Parcel Lockers and it is my pleasure to highly recommend this great system. It is very convenient and secure for our Residents to accept their packages from all carriers even when they are not home. The Snaile parcel delivery system is an excellent business partner."
"Great customer service. Very much enjoy our partnership with Snaile! Julie and Kirstin thank you for your help and assistance through our onboarding process!"
"I used the Snaile Parcel Locker System while I stayed at Monte Kwinter Court Apartments in Toronto. They came in very handy through out the pandemic when purchasing online items. Texts with codes for sent immediately. Very easy to use system!"
"90% of our buildings have Snaile lockers installed in them. I know the CEO very well. We first met when the firm was doing the installation at Monde. I love your product. It makes life so much easier for our staff in terms of parcel management. I look forward to working with the Snaile team."
"We love your product and have it installed in a number of our communities both in BC and Ontario."
"We have two lockers installed now and a third one on its way.
These are better than sliced bread."
