BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 4
By Fidan Babayeva – Trend:
Azerbaijani Azexport internet portal will introduce contactless delivery service, acting as open platform for communication building between the buyers and sellers, the portal’s manager Aykhan Gadashov told Trend.
“With the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), we are increasingly in need of contactless delivery services. However, it is worth noting that Amazon’s e-trade platform has been providing similar service in a slightly different format for several years,” he said.
“The product is left at the door if the customer is not at home during the delivery of goods ordered from Amazon. Then, the courier completes order by taking a photo of the goods in front of the door and informs the customer. After that, the safety of the product is completely under the responsibility of the customer. The mechanism for placing the product in front of the door and the transfer of the obligation from the courier to the customer is regulated by the contract, which is pre-executed electronically at the time of ordering the product,” said Gadashov.
“However, sometimes the products are stolen. To prevent such cases, regular users of Amazon's e-trade platform provide the courier with a digital key through a special mobile application. The key is inserted into a special device on the door, the door opens, and the ordered goods are placed in the hall. To minimize security and possible disputes, the delivery process is recorded in video format. As is seen, the technical base and experience of Amazon's e-trade platform for making contactless delivery has been around for a while. Therefore, adaptation of the platform to the new pandemic conditions did not take much time,” the portal’s manager said.
“Along with Amazon, other companies are currently also using new mechanisms to minimize the contact between the courier and the client during delivery. Most Russian and Turkish companies have canceled the requirement to sign an invoice by the ordering party during delivery. The delivery process is now recorded by photo or video shooting,” Gadashov added.
“I think that the further development of contactless delivery services in our country and the introduction of new mechanisms are in the interests of companies working in this field. Ordered products are delivered mainly by transport companies. Currently, there are several companies in our country that offer contactless delivery services. One of the main obstacles to the development of the industry is the condition of the obtaining buyer's signature upon delivery. This problem can be solved by executing an online contract between the buyer and seller during the order, or by recording the delivery process of the order by video or photo shooting,” he noted.
“The experience of Chinese couriers of contactless delivery, that is, when the courier delivers the goods to the customer, leaves the purchased goods near the buyer's door and leaves, it is relevant not only today, but has been gaining momentum for a long time. In other countries, this method has also become widely used. For example, in Russia and Turkey, delivery of online orders is mainly carried out this way. I think that in our country, this method of contactless delivery will quickly expand and cover all areas,” said the manager.
The Azexport portal (https://azexport.az/index.php?route=common/home) was created by order of the head of state on creating a single database of goods produced in Azerbaijan dated September 21, 2016. The main goods exported during the current period are tobacco, chicken and eggs, hazelnuts, cottonseed oil, wine, pomegranate, onions, cosmetics, medical gauze, furniture, paint, confectionery, milk with fruit additives, mineral water and garlic.
The goal of the portal, which is managed by the Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communication, is to provide information on Azerbaijani-made products. It’s an effective resource for their selling in foreign and domestic markets.
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