DHL Express and Singaporean retail logistics company blu have started a partnership to offer all DHL Express customers the option to collect their shipments at DHL Service Points in the country, including blu’s islandwide network of over 55 bluPort parcel terminals.

According to DHL, customers now have the flexibility to direct their residential-bound parcels to a bluPort terminal or any other DHL Service Point for collection at their convenience, instead of having to make sure someone is at home to receive the parcel. Recipients will receive an email or SMS with a link to the DHL Express On Demand Delivery platform when their parcels are picked up in the origin country. They can then manage their delivery options on the platform and request for their parcels to be directed to a bluPort terminal.

“The rise of e-commerce has established new shopping habits and expectations, as with the speed and convenience of parcel delivery,” said Lyndon Morgan, vice president of operations at DHL Express Singapore. “Singapore is no exception – especially as the country pushes to grow e-commerce receipts significantly by 20201. Through this partnership with blu, we hope to give our customers the freedom to choose where and when they receive their parcels. We will continue to enhance such options by expanding our network with trusted partners like blu, and innovating our service and offerings.”

When shoppers select the option to collect parcels from DHL Service Points, the parcels bound

for bluPorts are handed over to blu, which is responsible for managing same-day delivery into the respective bluPorts. SMS notifications containing a personalized bluCode and collection expiry time will be sent to the parcel recipients. Shoppers will have 48 hours to collect their parcels from the bluPorts, with an automatic extension of 24 hours thereafter if the parcel remains uncollected.

“Our partnership with DHL Express further reaffirms the shift towards a seamless shopping experience for today’s shoppers, many of whom are time strapped and simply cannot afford the luxury of time to wait for a parcel to arrive,” said Prashant Dadlani, founder of blu. “We look forward to growing blu’s network of bluPorts further together with DHL Express as a trusted partner.”

blu’s network of bluPorts has been in operation in Singapore since October 2016.