Matkahuolto becomes the first in Finland to reward fast parcel pick-ups – data reveals where pick-up is delayed the most

Matkahuolto is the first parcel delivery company in Finland to start rewarding its customers for fast parcel pick-ups. Matkahuolto’s data shows that parcels delivered in Finland are picked up fastest in North Karelia and Ostrobothnia, and slowest in Uusimaa and Lapland.

The end-of-year parcel season – Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas – is again expected to show up in parcel lockers and parcel points. Parcel volumes in Finland rise by up to 30% at the end of the year compared to the average month, causing some parcel lockers and parcel points to become congested, even though operators have carefully prepared for the season.

“We are doing everything we can to ensure that our customers receive their parcels as smoothly as possible during the end-of-year season. We will introduce more than 100 new parcel lockers and expand dozens of our existing parcel lockers before the peak season. However, during the season, parcel volumes can be so high that our most popular parcel points and parcel lockers can be full at times,” says Kati Nevalainen, Director of Matkahuolto’s Parcel Business.

Matkahuolto is the first in Finland to reward customers for fast pick-ups – offering a tangible benefit for parcel services

According to a survey conducted by Matkahuolto in the spring, consumers were most annoyed if a parcel did not arrive at the chosen pick-up point and had to be moved to another location. Despite the expansion of the service point network, the most popular parcel lockers and parcel points are sometimes congested during the peak season. Customers can make a difference by picking up their parcels as quickly as possible – and reduce the parcel stress at the end of the year.

This is why Matkahuolto uses a completely new way to encourage its customers to pick up their parcels quickly. From now on, customers will be able to accumulate points in the Matkahuolto Paketit app for fast pick-ups. Customers earn points when they collect their parcel within the first 12 hours of the arrival notice. The faster you pick up your parcel, the more points you accumulate.

The maximum number of points for a single pick-up is 1,200 points and entitles you to a €1 discount on domestic parcel deliveries. Once the number of points has been reached, the discount code is automatically sent to the user in the app. The discount codes are stored in the app, waiting to be used at the appropriate time.

Up to 62% of Finns pick up their parcels within 12 hours, so the reward applies to the majority of Matkahuolto customers.

“We want to be the first parcel delivery company in Finland to encourage our customers to pick up their parcels as quickly as possible by giving them a tangible reward for doing so. This enables us to ensure the smoothest possible delivery of parcels,” Kati Nevalainen continues.

The new points feature will be added to the Matkahuolto Paketit app in the next version update in October-November. The collection of points will be piloted in the autumn and its future will be decided later.

Parcels delivered in Finland are picked up fastest in Pyhäjärvi, and slowest in Kustavi – on average, a Finn picks up a parcel in 22.1 hours

Matkahuolto collected data on how Finns pick up their parcels from Matkahuolto’s parcel lockers and parcel points in September 2024. According to the data, a Matkahuolto parcel is picked up in Finland on average 22.1 hours after the arrival notice is received.

Parcels are picked up fastest in Pyhäjärvi in North Ostrobothnia, where the average time to pick up a parcel is just 15.6 hours. The next fastest are Polvijärvi (16.3 h), Pyhtää (16.4 h), Ypäjä (17.0 h) and Mustasaari (17.0 h).

The slowest is Kustavi, where the average pick-up time is 38.8 hours. Enonkoski (32.4 h), Merijärvi (31.8 h), Myrskylä (31.0 h) and Kihniö (30.9 h) are the next slowest to pick up parcels.

In major cities, parcels are picked up rather slowly compared to the national figures. With the exception of Pori, the 10 largest cities in Finland are clearly slower than the national average. Pori (20.8 h), the fastest of the major cities, is only ranked 95th. In Helsinki, parcels are picked up in 28.3 hours on average, in Espoo in 25.7 hours, in Tampere in 24.9 hours, in Vantaa in 23.7 hours and in Oulu in 25.2 hours.

Among provinces, parcels are picked up fastest on average in North Karelia (19.5 h), Ostrobothnia (19.7 h) and Kainuu (19.9 h). The slowest provinces are on average Uusimaa (24.3 h), Lapland (23.7 h) and Varsinais-Suomi (23.1 h).

In the smallest localities, parcels are also picked up more slowly than average. In Luhanka, it takes 30.4 hours on average to pick up a parcel, in Hailuoto 23.5 hours, in Kustavi 38.8 hours, in Pelkosenniemi 28.6 hours and in Savukoski 29.5 hours.

“In the north and in smaller localities, distances to service points can be long and visits to towns are not as frequent. This may contribute to slow pick-up times. For city dwellers, on the other hand, life is probably busier, and although the pick-up points are closer to home, pick-up times are longer there too,” Kati Nevalainen concludes.