Apartment Resident Package Management Shifts from Lockers to Smart Rooms

Package deliveries to multifamily housing and apartment buildings have increased yearly due to the rise of e-commerce and online shopping. Today, the increase in package deliveries presents unprecedented challenges for property managers and building owners tasked with managing the influx of packages and ensuring efficient delivery to residents.

According to a 2022 UPS report, the company sent 36.5 million packages per day and 25 billion per year. By contrast, according to Statista, in 2021 (most recently reported numbers), Amazon Logistics delivered approximately 4.75 billion packages in the United States. Statista also noted that in the fiscal year of 2022, the FedEx Ground segment of FedEx Corporation delivered just over three billion packages.

Vincent Cricco, portfolio manager, Rose Associates, New York City, tells GlobeSt.com that his two New York City locations, with 204 apartments, have been using separate rooms to store packages.

Additionally, he requires a 24-hour concierge to manage the process by calling residents when packages arrive.

“This created a huge liability for us in terms of ensuring the residents received their packages,” Cricco said.

Greater Delivery Volume with Fewer Hassles

To address the challenges of managing the growing number of package deliveries in multifamily units and apartment buildings, smart package rooms are emerging as a better alternative to the traditional methods of package management.

With advanced technology, smart package rooms can store and track packages, notify residents of their deliveries, and securely manage access to the package room. As a result, property managers and building owners are now using this technology to reduce liability and ensure efficient delivery to residents.

A courier can quickly assign packages to residents at the entry point kiosk, unlock the door, and place the item onto a shelf, using Position Imaging’s smart package room, for example. Once on the shelf, computer vision technology monitors each package while automatically generating a QR code notification to the resident via email or text.

Starts with a QR Code

The resident scans the QR code at the room’s secure entryway to open the door, where audio and lasers guide them to their package. If an incorrect item is taken from the shelf, an audio notification will alert the resident to their mistake.

“Smart package room technology is the future of package delivery and management. Using this technology, we’re more efficient and better able to serve our residents,” Cricco added.

A similar staff productivity experience occurred at Country Club Towers in Denver, Colorado, when they began to use the smart package room. Constructed in 2017, Country Club Towers contains 558 units with 850 residents.

Once the buildings reached a hundred percent occupancy, they received 520 packages daily. Some 400 to 500 boxes would be tossed on the floor by the courier, and it took the concierge team three to four hours to manage them all.

“The back hallway was the overflow for packages,” Dane Groteluschen, Concierge, Country Club Towers, tells GlobeSt.com. “Anything that did not fit into our former package system would overflow into the hallway, creating a mess with people walking into items– it was not a secure location.

“Things will get misplaced, and it would be tough to find the package. The smart package room was step-by-step and explanatory. It made storing packages twice as easy. Now you can scan a package, place it on the shelf, and the system registers it.”