SINGAPORE - Residents in Bukit Panjang and Punggol will soon find it easier to pick up their online shopping even if they are not home to receive their parcels, as a year-long pilot of a nationwide common parcel locker system begins in these two estates in October.

The first of such "federated lockers" will be located in convenient, accessible areas such as MRT stations and common collection points within 250m of HDB residential blocks, the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) announced on Monday (May 21).

Such a system will let users have a convenient pick-up point near their homes to collect various parcels if they are not around to receive them, even if these parcels come from different online merchants and vendors. It will provide cost savings and efficiencies to merchants and logistics firms by easing last-mile fulfilment challenges.

There will be 23 of such locker sites in Bukit Panjang and 39 in Punggol, which will be run by logistics providers BluPort and SingPost respectively.

IMDA will oversee this Federated Lockers Network and Collection Points Programme, which was first raised in 2016 by Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

The agency has signed memorandums of intent with 15 logistics firms and industry partners to participate in the locker network, including firms such as Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), Parcel Santa and Lazada.

Parcel Santa will partner SPH and tap its newspaper delivery network of more than 3,000 vendors and delivery crew to make deliveries to parcel lockers currently located in 100 condominium precincts.

There will also be the option of using any of the 59 SPH Buzz Convenience Stores as a drop-off or collection point.

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"This collaboration with Parcel Santa is just one of the latest foray to boost our presence in the e-commerce segment, particularly in the last-mile delivery," said Mr Spencer Tan, deputy general manager of SPH Buzz Convenience Stores.

"Operating during off-peak periods means greater efficiency and easing congestion especially in high density areas."

"Over time, we hope to strengthen our partnership with logistic providers as well as our SPH malls. For our newspaper vendors and delivery agents, this will expand their opportunities and improve their income," said SPH deputy chief executive Anthony Tan.