Perhaps even Santa Claus is asking himself this question these weeks. A PUDO, short for "pick-up and drop-off", is a place where parcels can be picked up or returned. Many e-commerce customers are familiar with the parcel store or tobacconist around the corner, but so-called lockers - available around the clock and without staff - are on the rise.
Ultimately, logistics companies need to optimize the last mile before delivery to the customer. We have the "PUDOs" available as a data package for Germany for corresponding geoanalyses.
The problem of the last mile
In Germany, it is not so much the long distances to the end customer in sparsely populated areas, but narrow and congested streets in many cities with few parking options for delivery vans. This makes doorstep delivery inefficient, expensive and sometimes stressful.
A PUDO offers clear advantages: Parcels can be delivered there in large quantities and recipients can pick them up flexibly within a certain period of time. Depending on the type, around the clock by entering a code (self-service with Locker) or during the opening hours of the parcel store or tobacconist. Parcels can also be returned via a PUDO. This bundling in one place offers a number of advantages for carriers and customers, as people with a high affinity for online shopping are often on the move during the day, at least during normal times.
PUDO lock ers (lockers without staff) can be placed at suitable locations - at the train station or at an S-Bahn station, in the parking lots of DIY stores or supermarkets along thoroughfares, at petrol stations or in the entrance area of a multiplex cinema or fitness studio. In any case, good accessibility is an important location factor. This means that focal points of consumption in district centers with a higher frequency are also suitable, but city centers themselves are less so.
Amazon Hubs in Frankfurt
The dark blue Amazon Prime trucks can be seen more and more often in our neighborhoods. Their lettering proudly proclaims: "100% electric, Shipment Zero". Nevertheless, they are still on the road for the last mile, which can be an arduous undertaking for the drivers. If the goods are sent to a parcel store, other delivery services such as Hermes are also used.
Of course, Amazon also has its own hubs: there are lockers as self-service stations and counters with staff. The online giant advertises these PUDOs with convenience, security and flexibility. These Amazon Hubs can now be found in many different locations throughout Germany, including Frankfurt am Main.
Our map (PDF ) shows the Amazon Lockers surveyed in Frankfurt am Main and their immediate surroundings (catchment area of 1 km on the road network). The Nexiga residential areas are shown in the background, classified according to the number of households with a high to very high affinity for online shopping. We divide the households into a total of 9 classes (very low to very high affinity). Classes 7 to 9 were combined for the map. A small geoanalysis showed that around 34% of affine households are already reached within a 1 km radius. This is a very good figure, especially as most customers also travel further distances, e.g. on their way home from work.
PUDO available as a data package
We have researched PUDO from various providers across Germany and prepared them as a data package. In addition to Amazon, these are the well-known parcel service providers DPD, DHL, GLS, Hermes and UPS.
The compilation of PUDO locations offers previously unavailable transparency for retailers, senders, recipients and CEP services (courier, express and parcel). The database can be the starting point for further enrichment with information, e.g. on the correlation of locations, usage frequencies and socio-demographic information from the surrounding area, as well as mobilityor frequency data. These points of interest (POI) can therefore be used directly for location planning and evaluation, and not just for the logistics sector.
Incidentally, if you analyze the immediate vicinity of Amazon hubs across Germany (radius of just 100 meters) and select the neighboring top stores, you will most frequently find points of sale from the textile, banks and savings banks, petrol stations, but also logistics competitors such as Deutsche Post, DPD or UPS.
A PUDO therefore rarely stands alone!