Being plagued by multiple missed deliveries, Bryan See Toh, co-founder and CEO of Park N Parcel, saw an opportunity. Bryan together with his co-founders, Erik Cheong and Tan Gan Hong, had a vision to utilise residential and commercial spaces as self-collection points. He shares with Meet Insights his journey on how the company started.
Before Bryan entered the logistics industry, he noticed that many were facing the struggle of missed parcel deliveries. It led to snaking queues of frustrated customers at the post office. Together with his partners, they leveraged technology to enhance the mailing ecosystem. Individuals and retail stores can sign up with Park N Parcel to be a "Parker". Sellers can drop off parcels with the "Parkers" and shoppers can conveniently collect parcels from neighbours or stores in the vicinity.
Park N Parcel became the first company to provide last-mile eCommerce fulfilment using the sharing economy model. Under the model, parcels are directed to nearby residential or commercial spaces for hassle-free drop-off or collection. With a full IT-enabled and integration support network, the company also offers customised delivery solutions. They have since built the largest network of collection points with over 1600 parkers island wide in Singapore.
However, more than half of that network was made redundant when COVID-19 struck. This was a test of resilience and creativity to turn crisis into opportunity. Making use of its tech-based business model, Park N Parcel quickly adapted to the situation and pivoted the business. With a strong proven track record of its specialised capabilities of door-to-door delivery and fulfillment, the innovative SME continues to apply its operational expertise to cater to small to large-scale logistics needs.
The co-founder relates back to the lowest point in his career when there were insufficient users participating in the collection points model. Many were doubtful of his ideas and made devastating comments about how the business was bound to fail. Being unable to secure a reliable team was also another issue he faced a few years into the business.
However, willingness to take risks and not to overthink is a philosophy Bryan lives by. With the current dedicated team the co-founders assembled, Park N Parcel overcame the skepticisms and flourished under their leadership. "We have seen one another's downtimes but we knew that giving up was never an option. Instead, setbacks fuel us to move forward with greater focus and belief."
Bryan describes the logistics industry as "a fast-paced and collaborative path filled with rising opportunities." Though the industry is filled with unpredictable challenges, he enjoys being surrounded by very hardworking and innovative individuals who strive to bring this field to the next level.
The co-founder shares: "Park N Parcel aims to become one of the top tech-enabled logistics players in Singapore with the strength of its tech-based solutions and predictive intelligence by its AI software which will get smarter over time." The company's mission is to optimise last-mile efficiencies across Southeast Asia through the means of technology.
Today, Park N Parcel is one of Singapore's fastest-growing logistics networks, and services multiple major eCommerce brands, such as Alibaba Cainiao.