Proudly Servicing Canadian Customers
September 6, 2019 by Jack Landau of urbantoronto.ca
The Greater Toronto Area’s condominium and rental housing boom is occurring alongside another boom: as the brick and mortar retail landscape suffers from the rise of online shopping, parcel deliveries are skyrocketing. According to the Pitney Bowes Parcel Index, growth in parcel volumes nationwide has been increasing by the year, with 17% and 20% increases in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 respectively. Similarly, e-commerce in Canada is expected to surpass traditional brick-and-mortar by 2020, accounting for 16% of retail sales according to Forbes and Statista.
The surge in both parcel volumes and new multi-unit residential buildings has created a perfect storm. Anyone living in a condo knows how many parcels are typically piling up near concierge desks these days. It has created a strong market for large parcel lockers that can meet the new demand, while reducing concierge staffing costs. Delivery problems can be even more pronounced at older buildings that lack front desks, resulting in residents getting missed delivery slips and instructions for off-site pickup, or worse, packages being left out in vulnerable places and possibly stolen.
Parcel delivery increases in Canada, image courtesy of Snaile
While solutions like dedicated Canada Post parcel lockers have existed for some time, changes in the way people purchase everything from groceries to furniture have led to capacity issues for these parcel lockers. Several newer buildings are already addressing these shortfalls with dedicated parcel storage lockers installed by third parties, with developers noting the importance for residents of having more flexibility in both the size and timing of their parcel deliveries.
One company producing lockers for many developers is Snaile. They will have locker installations in over 70 sites across Canada by the end of the year, including buildings by developers Starlight Investments, KingSett Capital, Concert Properties, Cogir, InterRent REIT, and Oxford Properties.
In Toronto, Snaile’s parcel lockers have become a popular feature at Concert Properties‘ 2013-completed Motion on Bay rental apartments, and are on the way for projects including 700 Bay from KingSett Capital and Lillian Park from Collecdev and Shiplake.
Lillian Park under construction, image by Forum contributor MafaldaBoy
Owners of some existing developments are also taking notice, converting space to accommodate the innovation. One such example is Concert Properties’ Jazz, a rental tower at Church and Shuter which recently had its move-in/out room converted into a dual purpose moving and parcel storage room.
Parcel lockers at Jazz, image courtesy of Snaile
The vast majority of new buildings now have space for parcel delivery in their designs form day one, and we expect that soon all buildings will take this not account, while management of older buildings, both condos and rental buildings, scramble to adapt their space to handle their owners’ and tenants’ changing shopping habits.
"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."
