August 25, 2008

Saint John residents are the first in North America to try a service which will allow them to direct online purchases to a pick-up location of their choosing.

On Aug. 20, Kinek Technologies officially launched its new service, called KinekPoint, that will allow customers to avoid the hassle of missing home delivery.

The service has been available for a few weeks now, but company vice-president John Simon said they kept it quiet so the time could be used to work out any bugs in the software that was developed by the company.

"Approximately 75 per cent of online shoppers are not at home during the day. The average consumer comes home to a delivery notice and the realization that they will have to go to either a courier depot or a postal outlet in order to retrieve their purchase," said company founder Kerry McLellan.

Kinek is a Saint John-based technology firm dedicated to developing products that improve everyday life.

Participating retailers include Lakewood Guardian Drugs on Loch Lomond Road, Millidgeville Pharmasave on Millidge Road, UPS Store on Rothesay Avenue and Kennebecasis Drugs on Marr Road, Rothesay, are offering the service to their customers. Quality Convenience in the uptown and Millidgeville has also confirmed that it will be participating and will be up and operating in the next few weeks.

Almost any business can become a depot, as long as it has established hours of operation, a computer with Internet connection, and an area in which deliveries can be securely stored, said Simon.

There is no cost for signing up and inclusion in the KinekPoint network is free for depots, he said.

The service works this way: Using a Google Map application on the KinekPoint website, consumers direct their packages to a location where they have easy access and will receive an e-mail notification when it arrives. For a small fee, consumers can pick up their parcels at any participating location, be it a retailer down the street from their home, office or the drugstore where they pick up their prescriptions.

Only a couple of dozen have used the service so far, but Simon said he is expecting use of the service to grow exponentially as word gets out.

"We're expecting it to grow quite quickly. The long-term plan is to watch it expand quickly across Canada. Once we have a larger foothold of consumers in Canada, we want to begin marketing in the United States," Simon said.

The company is planning a marketing blitz in October, capitalizing on the lead-up to Christmas when shoppers order gifts they don't want delivered at home and send packages to friends and family.

"Frustration with deliveries is a nation-wide problem. And Canadian consumers are shopping online in greater numbers than ever before. Saint John is an ideal launching site. The city and surrounding areas have distinct districts, all of which can benefit from having KinekPoint depots," said Simon.

Consumers can learn more by visiting the website. Retailers interested in adding a KinekPoint Depot service to their location can visit www.kinekpoint.com.