Fez, a leading last-mile delivery company in Nigeria, marked a significant milestone on Wednesday, January 10, 2024, with the official launch of its automated safe lockers. The event brought together business leaders, investors, partners, customers, and members of the media in Lagos, Nigeria, showcasing Fez's commitment to providing innovative solutions in the delivery of its services.
Last-mile delivery is a solution embraced by businesses and individuals alike for its convenience. However, challenges such as rising delivery costs, third-party handling, security, and inconsistent delivery schedules have necessitated the need for the development of newer solutions. And that’s what Fez has done: smart, automated safe lockers.
Seun Alley, CEO of Fez, expressed the company's commitment to redefining last-mile delivery. "Today marks a significant milestone for us at Fez Delivery as we launch and introduce our latest innovation, the Fez Safe Lockers. The first smart lockers offer a revolutionary solution, providing people with a convenient and secure way to send, receive, and collect items. By seamlessly connecting to the internet, these lockers empower our users with 24/7 access, transforming the delivery experience into one that aligns with the taste of our connected world."
Alley emphasised the Fez Safe Lockers' profound commitment to sustainability, stating, "In our collective effort to reduce our carbon footprint, these lockers will play a pivotal role in minimising the need for our riders to travel. Extensively, we are taking a significant step towards a greener and more eco-friendly future."
Mr. Kayode Adegbola, Board Chairman of Fez, spoke at the ribbon-cutting event, highlighting the board's dedication to ensuring the success of this new venture. He said that this is the first of many and they hope and are working to ensure that this is a very successful arm of the business.
Damilola Teidi, Head of Ventures and Networks at Ventures Platforms, one of Fez’s investors, congratulated Fez, expressing admiration for the team and their work and noting Fez's recent expansion into the UK.
Seun Alley explained how the solution works for individuals and businesses, noting that the Fez Safe Lockers are launching in three strategic locations, all of which are located on Lagos Island for now. ‘For anyone who orders from platforms that have Fez as a delivery partner and chooses the option to pick up their package from any of these lockers, it’s going to cost them ₦999 per box. As we continue to scale, that’s going to be the same rate across Lagos and even when we move to other cities as well.’
Alley further detailed the operational aspects: "We have a dedicated team that will load the boxes twice every day. Once the order has been entered on our own system, your customer immediately gets an OTP and can walk in any of these lockers, and in less than 30 seconds, a transaction is done."
According to Alley, the timeline for pickup is 48 hours, after which the parcel will be removed from the box and delivered directly to the customer at an extra cost. She emphasised working with businesses to communicate the process to their customers, do as much publicity and run partnerships with different platforms so people can be aware of how it works.
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The CEO addressed concerns about the safety of items in the lockers, stating, "Already today, we have goods in transit insurance. As long as your package is with us, it is insured. We work with Custodian and Alliance Insurance. So, if your item gets damaged or is missing in transit, we will take full responsibility and offer you a refund. The lockers are not designed to carry any parcel that weighs more than 10kg, and we are going to add set dimensions that parcels shouldn’t exceed."
Fez's innovative approach to last-mile delivery with the introduction of smart safe lockers marks a major leap forward in the logistics game in this part of the world, setting the pace for more innovative solutions in the future.
