PUDO Accelerates Package Pick-up and Returns with Dynamsoft

Intro

PUDO Inc. is North America’s largest independent Pick-up and Drop-off network. By partnering with smaller retailers such as local convenience stores, PUDO makes last mile more economical for merchants and more convenient for shoppers. With a network of over 1,200 PUDOpoint counters, PUDO has also reduced the cost of processing returns by 60%.

PUDOpoint counters are local corner stores, dry cleaners and drug stores that are close to where shoppers live, work or play. When a customer is not at home, PUDO partner carriers find the nearest PUDO location and drop it there. The customer then collects the package using their email notification and ID. Some smaller businesses use PUDO to fulfill their orders rather than paying a courier for pickup from their location.

Similarly for returns, shoppers can simply take their package to their nearest PUDOpoint counter, where the operator scans the barcode on the home printed label – or prints a label in-store from a QR code on the shopper’s phone.

PUDO’s objective was to ensure efficient last mile deliveries and returns by ensuring consistent barcode capture from package labels.

Challenge

PUDO originally used a native mobile app and Bluetooth handheld scanners. However, there were continual issues with speed and connectivity. Retailers and carriers would need to hover over labels waiting for the barcode to be recognized and would frequently call for support when unable to connect via Bluetooth.

Package labels are very often low quality images printed on home printers. Labels are frequently wrinkled, damaged in transit or even torn with sections missing. Small retail locations may have glare in the store and low light in their back rooms where they receive carrier deliveries. In warehouses, when automated scanning fails, staff will verify the labels manually. In this setting, high shelves make low lighting a challenge to barcode reading.

Retailers and carriers have a Bring Your Own (BYO) phone policy, so the solution needed to be able to deliver regardless of the phone operating system, speed or camera quality. PUDO needed a solution that would scan quickly and with consistently accurate results.

Package labels may be damaged, badly printed or poorly lit, but Dynamsoft scans every time.

– Karen Speight, Director of Administration, PUDO Inc.

Solution

The team evaluated alternatives but ran into challenges due to the low quality of the phone cameras at that time. Unlike others, Dynamsoft Barcode Reader was able to deliver consistent results even with the lower resolution cameras.

The PUDO team initially implemented an efficient solution using the server edition of Dynamsoft Barcode Reader some years ago. PUDOpoints would take photos of labels and read from those. This worked well, but the team also needed a separate cleanup process to remove images from the user devices on a regular basis.

The current implementation uses the JavaScript edition of Dynamsoft Barcode Reader, enabling direct scanning on the client device using the device camera. Evaluation was quick and easy since the team could simply use the online demos to test in their working environment. Tests using labels from various carriers, different partner locations and a wide range of phones proved high in accuracy and reading speed. Tests in real-world conditions with damaged labels and difficult lighting also showed consistency. Once the decision was made, PUDO team were able to integrate the barcode libraries very quickly into their web application.

We’re very happy with the accuracy of data capture with Dynamsoft Barcode Reader.

– Karen Speight, Director of Administration, PUDO Inc.

Impact

With the earlier Bluetooth scanner solution, PUDOpoints spent time manipulating the package and scanner to get a successful scan. Now, retailers and carriers scan with a simple click and then move directly onto the next stage of the shipping or receiving process. Consistent scanning has accelerated the processing of each package, which is crucial for last mile deliveries.

Accuracy of scans is also vital. Before, partners had to make manual adjustments to match up what was scanned in and scanned out due to inconsistencies. Now, with high accuracy scanning, that valuable time is no longer wasted.

For shoppers, the process of receiving and returning e-commerce packages has become considerably faster and more convenient. For merchants, the PUDOpoint model has reduced the cost of processing returns by 60%. PUDO is rapidly expanding in urban areas of the US, as more partner locations are brought into the network.