CouriersPlease Launches Retro Video Game To Celebrate “Super Delivery Heroes”

On Franchise Appreciation Day (28 August), parcel delivery service CouriersPlease (CP) is celebrating the people behind the parcel by launching an exciting new retro video-style game for the public, called “Super Delivery Heroes”.

The game is also being released in tandem with new CP research that reveals 83 per cent of Aussies underestimate the sheer volume of deliveries their local courier makes each day.

Super Delivery Heroes is a free lo-fi-style, desktop game that is a throw-back to the much-loved games of the 1990s and early 2000s, such as Super Mario Brothers. It places players into the shoes of their local courier. Players must work against the clock to deliver hundreds of parcels, all while battling the obstacles that couriers typically navigate every day. These include dog attacks, traffic, road accidents and road closures, and barriers preventing the delivery of a parcel, such as a closed business or a resident not and unable to sign for an order. The game is accessible to play from the CP website.

The game is being launched amid a retro gaming revival: Sony re-released its original PlayStation console, pre-loaded with fan favourites, while Atari plans to launch a similar revival and new versions of Microsoft’s Xbox consoles remain compatible with classic games. Conventions such as PAX Australia, which showcase old arcade and computer games, are also growing in popularity, and retro gaming fanatics can still find computer games from the early ’oughts online.

Phil Reid, Chief Operations Officer at CP, said: “As one of Australia’s most recognised and largest franchise businesses, CP looks forward to celebrating Franchise Appreciation Day every year. Our franchisees are the face of the business, showcasing their personalities and demonstrating our values to the community. For them it’s not just about delivering a parcel, they are key to our ongoing success which cannot be underestimated. This year, we thought we would put Aussies in the shoes of our franchisees, to raise awareness of the many challenges they face daily, particularly during the parcel volume spikes in lockdowns.”

CP research – derived from a survey of an independent panel of 1010 online shoppers – found that most parcel recipients are unaware of all the hard work that goes into parcel deliveries. 

For instance, on average, a CP franchisee will perform around 120 deliveries and 30 to 50 pickups per day. The survey revealed, however, that more than half of Australians (57 per cent) think a courier makes up to 60 deliveries a day, while 83 per cent think they make up to 100 deliveries a day. Just six (6) per cent of respondents believe couriers make at least 120 deliveries a day. 

CP also asked respondents what percentage of parcels they think online shoppers allow couriers authority to leave outside their door – an option that makes deliveries much easier. In reality, only 5 per cent of parcel deliveries are marked ‘authority to leave’. However, 61 per cent of respondents thought more than 50 per cent of parcels are given ‘authority to leave’ options, and 88 per cent of respondents thought more than 30 per cent of parcels are being left at the door.

Respondents were also asked what percentage of parcels they thought must be sent back to the depot or collection point in the case of a recipient not providing ‘authority to leave’ and no one is home to collect it. In reality, less than five (5) per cent of CP deliveries a week are unsuccessful and need to be taken to a depot or collection location, a percentage selected by just 10 per cent of survey respondent, while the majority (80 per cent) chose up to 30 per cent of parcels. The low rate of unsuccessful deliveries highlights the hard work that goes into bringing thousands of parcels to Aussies successfully the first time every day.

Reid said: “It is no surprise that Aussies significantly underestimate the number of parcels a courier delivers each day nor the work that goes into delivering them. There is a whole network involved in making sure parcels are delivered safely and quickly to thousands of Aussies every day.

“We are launching our Super Delivery Heroes video game not only as a fun, nostalgic computer game for Aussies to enjoy, reminiscent of retro games, but to also raise awareness of the hard work within our courier industry. Couriers across the country continue to face unprecedented delivery volumes as a result of the ongoing eCommerce boom and continued lockdowns.

“On Franchise Appreciation Day, we are celebrating the hard work of our franchisees. We encourage Aussies to continue to support their local couriers by approaching every interaction with understanding and patience, as our industry continues to face increasing parcel volumes each day, particularly during lockdowns and as we approach Christmas.”