PROXY
Defining a new typology of public space for the future of delivery
IA Collaborative
Senior Interaction Designer, Architecture Lead
IA Collaborative
Senior Interaction Designer, Architecture Lead
CHALLENGE
Design a business that makes in-person pickup the easiest and preferred choice for receiving packages
Our global logistics partner wanted to grow e-commerce market share by removing delivery hiccups through a seamless and personalized alternative to door-to-door delivery. To shift current expectations from standard home delivery to pickup places, we had to uncover new value for recipients and totally reimagine the experience of getting a package.
To learn what behaviors underlie these challenges, we stood up a fake company called Proxy and tested how personal control, flexibility, and custom service might entice consumers to shift expectations and intentionally choose in-person pickup for their online purchases. During three weeks of iterative live prototyping with real customers (and shipments), we built and tested a digital platform with features like proactive redirects and chatbot shipment management that enabled consumers to customize deliveries across a personalized network of pickup places aligned to their lifestyle. Building an in-person MVP at a wework office in Chicago, we simulated a physical Proxy location and tested if there was additional value in a personalized, secure, and amenity-rich pickup experience.
Design a business that makes in-person pickup the easiest and preferred choice for receiving packages
Our global logistics partner wanted to grow e-commerce market share by removing delivery hiccups through a seamless and personalized alternative to door-to-door delivery. To shift current expectations from standard home delivery to pickup places, we had to uncover new value for recipients and totally reimagine the experience of getting a package.
To learn what behaviors underlie these challenges, we stood up a fake company called Proxy and tested how personal control, flexibility, and custom service might entice consumers to shift expectations and intentionally choose in-person pickup for their online purchases. During three weeks of iterative live prototyping with real customers (and shipments), we built and tested a digital platform with features like proactive redirects and chatbot shipment management that enabled consumers to customize deliveries across a personalized network of pickup places aligned to their lifestyle. Building an in-person MVP at a wework office in Chicago, we simulated a physical Proxy location and tested if there was additional value in a personalized, secure, and amenity-rich pickup experience.
OUTCOME
We designed and stood up a new business called Proxy—Preferred Route Optimization Experience for You: a bespoke pick-up experience platform combining digital control with a physical network to manage deliveries based on convenience and location that aligns to recipient lifestyle and routines. Proxy is a place-based service that for the first time makes pick-up an exciting lifestyle choice.
Our prototype demonstrated high consumer demand for Proxy, and showed how our client could leverage existing capabilities to drive threefold value through 1.) expanded ecommerce volume from customer demand; 2.) operational savings from centralized delivery and reduced road time; and 3.) recurring revenue from customer subscriptions.
We designed and stood up a new business called Proxy—Preferred Route Optimization Experience for You: a bespoke pick-up experience platform combining digital control with a physical network to manage deliveries based on convenience and location that aligns to recipient lifestyle and routines. Proxy is a place-based service that for the first time makes pick-up an exciting lifestyle choice.
Our prototype demonstrated high consumer demand for Proxy, and showed how our client could leverage existing capabilities to drive threefold value through 1.) expanded ecommerce volume from customer demand; 2.) operational savings from centralized delivery and reduced road time; and 3.) recurring revenue from customer subscriptions.
- FedEx/Walgreens alliance (2017) operationalized key parts of Proxy. Connected retail partners have enabled incredible ecommerce growth:
–90% incremental growth in volume by 2026
–62,000 locations
-
560,000 tons of carbon emissions mitigated
- 30% growth in HAL volume (FY20) through Proxy features deployed in FedEx digital channels
