Amazon Introduces Multifamily Package Lockers
The online retail giant is expanding its offerings from its existing Amazon Lockers by adding the Hub, a new package management system tailored for multifamily properties.
By Mallory Bulman
According to the latest American Community Survey published from the U.S. Census Bureau in 2015, 37 percent of U.S. households rent their homes. Per a 2016 report by Pew Research Center, eight out of 10 Americans are online shoppers. The combination of renters who do their shopping online results in a significant property management challenge: lots of boxes coming in for front desk staff or property managers to sort through. In particularly dense markets with high-occupancy properties, managing packages alone can take a significant amount of property management staff’s time.
Package locker services have arrived on the multifamily scene as a solution to the deluge of boxes delivered to apartment buildings every day. Amazon, one of the biggest online retailers in the U.S., got in on the action to provide apartment buildings with a version of its established Amazon Lockers called the Hub by Amazon. While its Amazon Lockers, which were rolled out in 2015 according to the Wall Street Journal, were installed in 7-Eleven stores, the new Hub will be available especially for multifamily properties.
Available at all hours, the Hub is a set of lockers that can receive and safely store packages from all carriers and retailers, not just Amazon’s. Built similarly to the Amazon Lockers, mail carriers will have access to empty lockers where they can drop off packages. The recipient accesses their package by entering a pickup code into the touchscreen panel, when the locker door will open to reveal the item.
According to Amazon, the Hub will be available in an indoor and outdoor option with four color choices. Sizes start with the Starter Hub, a six-foot-wide model with 42 lockers. Amazon also offers three-foot-wide Expander Segments which can add 23 more compartments to an existing Hub module.
Pricing is unclear, and those interested in installing a Hub at their property are directed to an inquiry form via thehub.amazon.com.
Image and video courtesy of Amazon.
