One of the best things about living in Korea is the cheap online shopping and speedy delivery. It’s very common to be able to order something online and have it delivered in less than 24 hours. The country’s ecommerce market totaled $38 billion last year and is expected to surpass $50 billion by 2018.
However, for many people who are at work all day or out of the house a lot, receiving packages can be a bit more difficult. While newer apartments have electronic lockers, which store received packages safely, many people still have deliveries left at their door. Brand new service ‘Tekbebang’ hopes to put the minds of keen online shoppers at ease by keeping their packages safe.
Launched today, the service lets you order packages to registered Tekbebang locations rather than your home address so you can know someone has collected the delivery safely. Customers can also use the service to return items easily by leaving them at a location to be picked up. A sending service is also currently in the pipeline.
Behind the app is startup Orange Garden, which is known for its Lego rental service ‘Letz Go’, and received 1.3 billion won in its first round of funding last year. The idea for Tekbebang came about after its Letz Go customers found it frustrating when trying to return products by post.
“As most of our customers for Letz Go are married couples who both work full-time jobs, we naturally found out about the inconveniences in the delivery market,” says CEO Kwon Jeong-geun.
Tekbebang initially opened for beta service in January and over that time its number of pick up/drop off locations has grown to 550, mostly concentrated in the Seoul area. These are usually at places such cafes, hair salons and laundromats, and also serve as a marketing opportunity for these businesses too.
