Smartpost parcel lockers are now also accessible to people with visual impairments

As of 2 June, Itella’s white Smartpost parcel lockers include braille to make parcel delivery services more accessible for those with visual impairments. 

“There are an estimated 7,500 visually impaired people in Estonia, of whom around 500 are completely blind. Smartpost Itella’s aim is to offer parcel services to everyone in Estonia, which is why we are adding braille to our parcel machines to make it easier for visually impaired people to use them,” commented Itella Estonia OÜ Customer Experience Manager Triin Parmsoo.  She added that Smartpost Itella is the first parcel delivery service in Estonia to focus on user experience and quality of service for the visually impaired.

Smartpost’s white parcel lockers in Tallinn were the first to be equipped with braille, leading the effort of making them available all over Estonia within the next few months. “The braille stickers installed on the parcel lockers will assist and guide people who are visually impaired in retrieving parcels from the lockers,” Parmsoo explained. “Although visually impaired people can easily order goods online, picking up the parcel from a parcel locker has been a more difficult process.” 

Smartpost Itella developed the braille stickers in collaboration with the Estonian Federation of the Blind, which helped in both the preparation of the braille and in finding the right location for the lockers. “Smartpost is dedicated to offering a convenient, high-quality, and fast user experience to all users. It is exactly for this reason that we developed the innovative solution in cooperation with those who will be affected by it,” said Itella Estonia’s Customer Experience Manager.

Jakob Rosin, chairman of the board of The Estonian Federation of the Blind, stated that during the COVID pandemic, parcel lockers have become one of the most inaccessible aspects of online shopping for visually impaired people, which is why it’s great to see that Itella Estonia has taken it upon itself toequip all new parcel lockers with braille stickers. “While a visually impaired person has so far been able to order goods independently from an online store and knows how to get to the nearest parcel locker, they will still be met with only a touch-sensitive and mute screen or a row of identical locker doors that are difficult to distinguish,” says Rosin. “By using braille stickers, however, the visually impaired are able to find and pick up their parcels much more easily. In this way, the user will be able to retrieve the parcel without having to ask for anyone’s assistance.”

Itella Estonia Smartpost is also currently working on developing a feature for my.smartpost.ee’s self-service system that will make sending parcels easier for visually impaired individuals.

In total, Smartpost Itella has installed 60 white parcel lockers in Estonia.


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