We attended the Amazon event “Pickup points in Catalonia: innovation, local commerce and urban mobility”, where we shared an enriching morning with some of our members. Throughout the morning, we learned about the need to develop pickup points and the impact they have on customers, businesses, and cities. In addition, we had the opportunity to visit one of the lockers located on Rambla de Catalunya.
After a welcome by Jon Guinea, head of public policy at Amazon, Bernardo López, head of pickup points and returns in Spain, presented the study on which their strategy is based. López highlighted customers’ growing familiarity with and preference for more flexible delivery models. He also noted that Amazon has more than 600 pickup points in Catalonia, including Amazon Lockers, Amazon Counters, and third-party pickup locations, generating a significant impact on the country’s economy and creating shared value for customers, businesses, and cities.
In addition, a round table titled “The last mile transforms the city” was held, featuring industry professionals such as María Paula Caycedo, ecosystem and stakeholder director at EIT Urban Mobility, Víctor Martínez de Albeniz, professor at IESE Business School, José Carlos Espeso Illera, urban mobility and freight distribution manager at AECOC, and Xavier Patón, head of economic promotion, tourism, international relations, and sports at the Barcelona City Council. During the session, participants shared views and reflections on the transformation of urban mobility and the role lockers can play as a tool to improve last-mile delivery. The benefits these models can bring to small businesses were also discussed, as well as possible regulatory solutions.
Finally, the event concluded with a visit to one of the company’s lockers located on Rambla de Catalunya. It was a particularly interesting visit, as Amazon has collaborated with various artists to design these pickup points and integrate them into the urban environment. In this case, we visited an artwork by Núria Tort (Núria Toll), an illustrator and muralist, which turns the locker into another element of the city’s landscape.
We would like to thank Amazon for the invitation to this event, as well as for the opportunity to gain first-hand insight into the trends and challenges associated with last-mile delivery.
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