With door opener

Postmen to be able to enter the anteroom from July

Postmen should be able to enter the front room through a special lock.

(Bild: Österreichische Post AG)

From July, the postman will also be able to come into the anteroom on request. Swiss Post calls this an "absolute market innovation". However, anyone wishing to take advantage of this convenient delivery method will have to invest in a special lock.

Austrian Post will start regular operation of anteroom delivery next month; trial operation has been running since 2021. The technology partner is the company Nuki. As a first step, Austrian Post is activating 200 users who have already registered, with more customers to be added on an ongoing basis.

"The front-door delivery service from Swiss Post and Nuki is an absolute market innovation that has never made it past the pilot phase in Europe," says Peter Umundum, Chief Parcel & Logistics Officer at the partly state-owned, listed Post AG.

Door opens via app
Martin Pansy, founder and CEO of Nuki Home Solutions, describes how the doorstep delivery works: For the delivery, the front door or apartment door is fitted with a Nuki Smart Lock. Authorization to open the door is granted via an app and the delivery person unlocks the door with their mobile device and places the parcel on its own doormat. After leaving the apartment, it is locked again.

To participate, you must be at least 18 years old, have a delivery address in Austria and the door lock must be compatible with the Nuki Smart Lock. Registration is now open. Users must pay a one-off fee of 289 euros for the hardware - unless they already own one. Swiss Post promises that the reception option for anteroom delivery is always free of charge.

Martin Pansy from Nuki and Post CEO Peter Umundum

(Bild: Österreichische Post AG)

Parcels are also collected
But the postmen don't just come to deliver parcels, they also pick them up. "As part of the anteroom delivery service, Swiss Post is also offering to expand its pick-up service to include a preferred place in your own anteroom. Users can label their parcels with return labels or parcel stamps and instruct Swiss Post to collect them," says Swiss Post. The parcels must be placed on the special doormat so that the delivery staff know which items to collect.