UPS Inc. said yesterday it will add 100 U.S. cities by the end of the summer to its "Access Point" network, which allows for package pickups and deliveries at locations other than a consumer's residence.
Under the expansion, Access Point will be available in Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, Houston, Philadelphia, and Denver, among other points, Atlanta-based UPS said. Access Point has already been rolled out in Chicago, Boston, New York City, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco.
Access Point locations are primarily neighborhood convenience and grocery stores, dry cleaners, and delicatessens with extended evening and weekend hours. In addition, 4,400 "The UPS Store" U.S. locations are part of the network. Consumers can use the locations to make returns as well as pickups. For deliveries, Access Point kicks in after the first home attempt. If unable to make a delivery at a consumer's residence, a UPS driver will leave a note indicating when and where the package will be available for pickup. Consumers need photo identification to obtain their packages.
Consumers living in densely populated areas have experienced problems receiving packages if they are not home and UPS is unable to leave the package in a secure location. About one-third of U.S. online shoppers participating in a 2015 study commissioned by UPS said they want their packages sent to locations other than their homes, compared with 26 percent in 2014.
"We listened to consumers who said they were not buying online because they didn't have a secure delivery location," said Alan Gershenhorn, UPS' executive vice president and chief commercial officer, in a statement. "By providing local options, we are improving the e-commerce delivery experience, which helps retailers and UPS."
UPS said it expects to have more than 8,000 UPS Access Point locations in the U.S. and 22,000 locations globally by the end of the year.
