A recent consumer survey commissioned by SmartPosti shows that more than half of Estonians consider it important to have the option to receive parcels at their summer location – to their summer home. This means that during the summer season, e-commerce follows people from cities to the countryside.
According to the survey, 52.6% of respondents said that having parcels delivered to their summer home is important or very important. This clearly indicates that the demand for parcel delivery services doesn’t disappear in summer – it simply moves with people to where they actually are.
The results also reveal that 72% of consumers feel they use parcel lockers just as frequently in the summer as during the rest of the year, and 3.8% even use them more often. Nearly a third of those who reported more frequent use say it’s because they shop more online in summer – for seasonal items, gardening supplies, or travel essentials.
These trends highlight a shift in consumer behavior. While people used to travel to pick up their parcels, they now expect parcel services to come to them. During summer, delivery must be available not only in urban areas, but also where people spend their holidays.
“People move out of the cities in summer and expect their everyday services to move with them,” says Sander Borodkin, Head of Sales at SmartPosti in Estonia. “Our job is to be where our customers are – that’s why we’re continuously expanding our parcel locker network across Estonia.”
In addition to indoor parcel lockers, SmartPosti has a unique strategy for expanding into smaller towns: parcel points. These are local cafés, stores or other small businesses where people can receive SmartPosti parcels. Parcel points are typically located in areas with fewer people, where installing a parcel locker wouldn’t be cost-effective. This allows SmartPosti to serve even smaller communities and popular summer areas.
“We’re not setting up temporary solutions – we’re building a sustainable network based on real customer movement and need,” adds Borodkin. “I encourage e-commerce merchants to also offer SmartPosti’s courier service, which allows us to reach summer destinations beyond our locker network.”
The survey confirms that when choosing a delivery option, customers no longer consider only speed and price – availability at their actual location is just as important. The parcel service of the future doesn’t ask where to deliver – it simply moves with the customer.