The new box accepts parcels and is designed to help senders post parcels bigger than the traditional letter box size.
Senders can drop parcels into the drawer that opens up from the box and can request a proof of posting to confirm the delivery made it to its destination safely.
This can be done using the Royal Mail’s app using the ‘services’ option.
The first of the modern designs with a black solar top has been rolled out in five locations across Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, in the towns of Ware, Hertford and Fowlmere.
The Royal Mail – whose parent company International Distribution Services (IDS) was purchased by billionaire Daniel Křetínský’s EP Group last year – said the innovation is part of its wider efforts to “make sending parcels as convenient as possible”.
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Also, in the era of side hustles and second-hand marketplace activity, the Royal Mail hopes this will make life easier for customers to sell unwanted clothes and other products, as well as make traditional returns to major retailers.
As well as small parcels, you can still send standard letters in the new boxes, which are topped with black solar panels and scan the barcode on the parcel.
While there are 115,000 postboxes in the UK, there has been a shake-up of the Royal Mail service, which has led to second-class mail deliveries on Saturdays coming under threat.
Ofcom announced plans in January to cut second-class deliveries to every other Wednesday while prices of stamps rose this month. A first-class stamp now costs £1.70 while second-class alternatives rose to 87p.
The modern adaptation of the letterbox could see a welcome boost to the number of Royal Mail customers amid competition from courier services like Evri, Yodel and DPD.
‘Maximise choice and convenience’
Emma Gilthorpe, CEO of Royal Mail, said: “In making this historic change to our postboxes, our goal is to maximise choice and convenience for our customers. In an era where letter volumes continue to decline and parcels are booming, we are giving our iconic postboxes a new lease of life on street corners across the nation.
“You can now drop your parcel in any postbox where it fits – you just need a label with a barcode.”
