Self-service first-mile automation that turns crowded post offices into 24/7 drop-off points

Removing the counter from routine drop-offs

E-commerce growth in the GCC is reshaping logistics faster than branch infrastructure can keep up. Parcel volumes climb. Counter staffing doesn't. The result is predictable: queues at the busiest post offices, frustrated customers, and operational pressure that gets worse during peak periods.

The obvious answer — open more branches, hire more counter staff — is expensive, slow, and limited by physical space. The less obvious answer is to remove the counter from the equation entirely for routine drop-offs.

The challenge

A leading GCC logistics company faced acute operational pressure at its post office inside Dubai International Airport — one of its busiest branches, serving travellers around the clock. Sending a parcel meant queuing to have it weighed and measured, waiting for an operator to calculate the rate, completing paperwork, and finally handing it over — a sequence designed for low volumes that no longer applied to current demand.

Customers already lived in a world of self-service retail. Their expectations had shifted, but the post office hadn't. Branch staff spent peak hours on basic measurement and label printing instead of the interactions that actually required human judgment.

How we approached it

We installed OMNI Drop Off as a proof of concept — a self-service kiosk that fully automated parcel sending from start to finish.

The customer places the parcel on the platform. Built-in scales and a vision-based measurement system capture weight and dimensions automatically. Shipping rates are calculated instantly. Packaging materials are available in the unit and the shipment can be insured in the same session. Payment goes through an integrated terminal, a tracking number is generated, the label is printed, and the parcel is handed over to an intelligent locker compartment for branch pickup.

Computer vision reduces errors and adds a layer of security that manual handling can't match. The entire flow — from placing the parcel to handing it over — runs without staff involvement, at any hour.

The pilot proved that automation can absorb peak-hour volume without proportional staffing increases, and further units have since gone into other locations — the same self-service drop-off extends parcel services to high-traffic sites outside post offices entirely: metro stations, airports, malls, business centers. Branch capacity, without opening new branches.