5 Ways to Prevent Package Theft in Your Apartment Building

10/22/2021
7 minute read

With the explosion of e-commerce as a result of the pandemic, apartment and condo buildings are receiving hundreds of packages on a daily basis. In most cases, these buildings don’t have the capabilities to handle this many deliveries, and without a proper package management solution, package theft becomes a serious concern for staff and residents alike. Read on to learn more about how the growth of e-commerce is leading to an increase in package theft, how common package theft is in light of this growth, and the five best solutions you can implement today to help combat it.

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How the Growth of e-Commerce is Leading to More Package Theft How Common is Package Theft? 5 Best Ways to Prevent Package Theft

How the Growth of e-Commerce is Leading to More Package Theft

The global pandemic was the key driver in the recent explosion in e-commerce. More than just a temporary trend, experts say the pandemic accelerated the shift to online shopping by as much as five years. According to Canada Post, 93% of Canadians intend to maintain or increase their online spending after the pandemic. Driving much of this growth is the Millennial and Gen Z demographics. Millennials account for 33% of all online shopping, while representing 35% of online “hyper-shoppers” (those who purchase 25 or more items online annually). When it comes to recurring deliveries like food or groceries for example, Gen Zs take the crown. 34% of Gen Zs surveyed by PwC said they purchase food or groceries online, and also showed a higher tendency to order from food delivery apps. With these generations only growing in their share of the market, and with older generations becoming more affluent with the online buying experience, this explosion in e-commerce is only going to continue. For multi-family buildings without a proper package management solution however, this opens the door to increased likelihood of package theft.

How Common is Package Theft?

With so many more packages getting delivered now, the likelihood of having to deal with package theft grows. Today, large multi-family apartment and condo buildings can receive more than a hundred packages in a single day. That’s a lot of packages to have to take in with no package management solution. A recent survey published by FedEx found that nearly one third of all online shoppers had experienced package theft in 2020. That was up from 25% just the year prior. So what do you do when it comes to preventing package theft? Luckily, we’ve put together what we believe are the five best ways to help prevent package theft in your building and help keep your residents feeling safe.

5 Best Ways to Prevent Package Theft

Two years ago, only 13.6% of sales were made from online purchases. By the end of 2021, that number is expected to reach 19.5%, or one in five sales. More and more packages are going to be delivered to your buildings, and without a package management solution in place, taking in and making sure all of these deliveries are safe is going to be a nightmare. To give you some guidance on where to start, we’ve put together the five best ways to help you prevent package theft and keep your building safe. The five best ways to prevent package theft in your building are: 1) Intercom System 2) Get a Concierge 3) Security Cameras 4) Package Lockers 5) Package Rooms

1. Intercom System

An intercom system or some form of access control is one of the best ways to help prevent package theft in your building. Not only will it allow you to let couriers in through a variety of different methods, but it will also help keep unwanted guests out. Courier Entry Depending on the type/brand of intercom system you purchase, there are a number of access methods designed specifically to let couriers in. Some intercoms will allow you to customize pin codes specifically for couriers or different carriers, so they can easily enter the building upon arrival simply by inputting their assigned pin. This not only allows staff to manage those access privileges as needed, but also lets couriers enter the building quickly and easily, without residents or staff needing to be involved. There’s also intercoms like 1VALET’s Smart Entry System, which comes included with built-in package scanning technology that grants courier access simply by scanning the package. Access Control The inclusion of any intercom system will help reduce package theft simply by keeping the packages in, and the potential thieves out. For overall building safety, an intercom system is a great method to help your residents feel more secure in their homes. Video intercom systems will also put some of the responsibility on the residents themselves, by allowing them to view and verify guests that dial from the intercom system on their phone. This will give them peace of mind knowing exactly who’s entering the building.

2. Get a Concierge

For many multi-family condo and apartment buildings, having a concierge is essential. They act as the friendly gatekeeper, typically tasked with managing guest parking and providing security and assistance to the residents when needed. In many buildings, they’re also responsible for receiving and managing incoming packages. This is extremely valuable against package theft as it ensures someone is receiving your package when you’re not home, rather than it sitting idle in front of your door or in the lobby. In some cases the concierge will even contact you when the package arrives, letting you know to pick it up whenever you arrive home. A concierge can get pricey though, costing anywhere from $25-$35 per hour. If they’re on-site overnight as well, this can quickly add up. They do add a personalized element to your building though, and are of great assistance to residents and guests. So, if you’re interested in this option but employing it across multiple buildings is too costly, consider 1VALET’s more cost-effective Virtual Concierge solution.

3. Install Security Cameras

One of the best ways to deter package theft and other suspicious activity is the addition of security cameras to your properties. Security cameras will not only discourage package theft, but are also an effective way of always making sure you have eyes on your building. You or your staff will be able to monitor public areas of the community, which are typically the highest-trafficked and problem areas. The cameras will act as a deterrent for package theft, and make it easier to identify and deal with issues as they occur. Security cameras will also bring a sense of peace of mind to your residents, so they are definitely a great solution that will not only deter package theft, but help keep the community safe too. Image courtesy of Snaile, Canada’s Parcel Locker Company.

4. Package Lockers

One of the best ways to securely store packages and help eliminate package theft is through the addition of package lockers. Package lockers are compartmentalized storage units that allow couriers to safely drop off deliveries. The lockers and storage compartments range in size to accommodate most packages, and typically have interactive screens to help guide the courier through the drop-off sequence. After the courier successfully deposits the package, the compartment locks and a delivery notification is sent to the resident. The notification contains a one-time numerical or QR pickup code that then lets the resident easily collect it from the locker whenever they return home. For our personal favourite package lockers that will help prevent package theft in your building, we recommend Snaile and LocKourier.

5. A Package Room

One of our favourite methods to prevent package theft is the inclusion of a package room in your building. A package room is a secure room in the building where couriers can safely drop off packages for storage until the resident returns home to retrieve it. A successful package room requires two things – a video intercom and shelves. The video intercom is setup outside the package room, and requires couriers to enter a secure pin code or scan the package in order to gain entry into the room. From there, the packages are placed on the shelves, and residents are notified on their phone that their delivery has arrived. There are a number of benefits to a package room, and it’s definitely one of the more cost-effective end-to-end package management solutions available to help eliminate package theft. See how the 1VALET package room works:

Help eliminate package theft with 1VALET’s package management solution

1VALET’s package management solution helps eliminate missed deliveries and package theft, while helping make sure your residents get their deliveries the first-time, every time. Our Smart Entry System is the only intercom system built with patented Parcel Scanning Technology, which grants couriers first-time access into the building simply by scanning the barcode of a package. From there, the courier heads to the secure package room, and interacts with a second Smart Entry System that grants them access into the package room. From there, the couriers can drop off the packages, and residents are notified of the successful delivery on their 1VALET Resident App. Here are the top five reasons to choose 1VALET for package management: 1) Package scanning virtually guarantees first-time delivery. 2) Simple building access for couriers. 3) Secure storage in package rooms prevents package theft. 4) Package delivery notifications directly on the 1VALET Resident App. 5) More affordable than package lockers. To learn more about our simple and affordable package management solution that helps prevent package theft, click HERE.

About 1VALET 1VALET is a smart building operating system that integrates IoT technologies to better connect residents to their community, and easily convert any multi-family building into a connected smart building. By centralizing building systems into one web-based dashboard and empowering tenants with a Resident App, 1VALET can enhance resident engagement, increase NOI, and create safer, smarter communities.