How to Prevent Package Theft This Holiday Season

The 2024 holiday shopping season is about to begin and, while sales are expected to be slower in light of continued inflation, retailers are still expecting some growth this year. Salesforce predicts a 2% year-over-year increase in U.S. holiday sales, generating up to $272 billion this year.¹ Capital One Shopping research adds that 92% of consumers plan on placing holiday shopping orders for home delivery.²

The holidays are already a busy time for apartment communities, where package deliveries can increase by as much as 81% per week throughout the peak period.³ But more online shopping also means more packages, which means more opportunities for package thieves to nab residents’ holiday purchases before they’re ever gift-wrapped. Even with a video doorbell or home security camera, a package left in plain sight on a resident’s doorstep is an easy target for a package thief who wants to engage in porch piracy.

Let’s look at how multifamily community managers and residents can help prevent package theft during the holiday season.

Package Theft is a Major Issue – Especially Around the Holidays

Package theft is a massive (and costly) issue all across the country. 35% of respondents to a recent Safewise survey reported a stolen package in the past year; of the items lost to package thieves, more than half of the goods were valued between $50-200.⁴ Sadly, apartment residents are roughly 34% more likely to fall victim to package theft than the average for all home types, according to Capital One Shopping research.⁵

It should come as no surprise, then, that resident package theft worries peak during the holiday season. With residents in and out of their homes more often for various seasonal engagements, any package left in plain sight by a delivery service is ripe for porch piracy. 88% of holiday shoppers are concerned about holiday package theft, and 37% know at least one victim of holiday parcel theft.⁶

Here are our top holiday package theft prevention tips and tricks to keep your residents from having to report a stolen package (or packages).

Your Community’s Best Package Theft Prevention Tool: Smart Lockers

To prevent parcel theft, some properties accept resident packages at the leasing office or through a staff-managed package room. However, while this strategy prevents theft, it often creates friction for both residents and property staff. In 2018, more than one-third of property managers reported that their package management strategies were not adequate during high volume periods, such as the holiday season.⁷ Given increased resident adoption of online shopping post-COVID, it can be reasonably assumed that properties without a solution in place for package management have been fighting to keep up with resident deliveries ever since.

If you’re looking for package theft solutions so your residents don’t become package theft victims, smart package lockers can help. Unlike video doorbell cameras or other home security solutions, parcel lockers provide physical protection for resident packages – not just a package theft deterrent that, in many cases, is not effective. Parcel lockers also provide 24/7, on-demand access to packages, so residents don’t have to rearrange their schedules to get to the leasing office or wait for scheduled delivery services.

Residents value the fact that package lockers keep their deliveries safe and secure. A recent National Business Research Institute (NBRI) survey revealed that 78% of residents prefer smart lockers as their primary package retrieval method, outranking direct-to-door delivery, leasing office pick-up, or scheduled delivery.⁸ By offering parcel lockers at your community, you can attract more prospects, increase renewal rates, boost the resident experience, and – most importantly – prevent package theft.

Parcel Pending by Quadient offers a wide range of smart package locker and package room solutions that ensure the simple and secure delivery of resident packages. Additional benefits of using our smart locker solutions include:

• MORE Operational Efficiency: Automate the package delivery and collection processes; with Parcel Pending PLUS’s Consolidated Box feature, residents can receive more than one delivery from the same delivery service in one locker
• MORE Package Security: Our lockers’ robust steel design ensures every package delivery is kept safe, removing liabilities for stolen packages; residents receive a delivery notification with a one-time PIN or unique barcode to access their package
• MORE Use Cases: Grant one-time delivery access to lockers for non-residents, such as maintenance personnel, pet walkers, or self-guided tours; utilize dedicated zoning for community management tasks
• MORE Insights: Get real-time insights and alerts on package locker performance with our Business Intelligence tools and online analytics portal; survey residents about their experience directly from the package locker kiosk after delivery pick-up
• MORE Customization: Our flexible API allows for seamless integration with most property management software solutions; customize your lockers’ color or wraps to match your property’s branding or location aesthetic

Other Holiday Package Theft Prevention Tips

While a package locker solution is the best way to prevent holiday package theft, there several other strategies you can use or recommend to residents to help prevent package theft if you can’t implement a package locker solution right now.

• Sign up for delivery alerts: Encourage residents to sign-up for delivery alerts via text or email so that they can track their package in real-time and be ready to retrieve it upon delivery – before a package thief can get to it.
• Choose signature delivery: Advise that residents select “signature required” delivery so that they can be sure to receive their package and avoid theft.
• Enlist a trusted neighbor to help: Recommend that residents ask a neighbor to keep an eye out for their package and retrieve it immediately upon delivery.
• Reschedule delivery: If the resident knows they will not be home when their package is expected to arrive, suggest they contact the carrier and reschedule delivery for another date.

Are you a resident looking to reschedule or reroute a package delivery? We have all the information you need on how to reroute a package with the major carriers (e.g., Amazon, FedEx, USPS, and UPS).

Video Doorbell Cameras & Other Home Security Measures

Community managers can install or suggest that residents install a video doorbell security camera or other home security system to prevent package theft. This technology, while on the newer side, is relatively familiar to residents. According to Capital One Shopping research, 46% of consumers already have some kind of security camera to monitor package delivery and 20% of U.S. households currently use a video doorbell camera.⁹

Out-of-Home Delivery Options

There are also a few options offered by retailers and carriers that residents can take advantage of to avoid package theft – both during the holiday season and year-round:

• Buy Online, Pick Up in Store (BOPIS) or curbside pickup are delivery options offered by retailers that can help residents avoid the threat of package theft incidents altogether. When making a purchase online, consumers simply select the nearest retail location and pick their items up from that store at their convenience. Curbside pickup allows consumers to collect orders without even leaving their car.
• Another easy way for residents to help prevent package theft is to request a package hold. This is when the local post office or delivery hub holds mail and packages while someone is out of town – perfect for residents who are away on holiday engagements. Encourage residents to sign up for this delivery option with USPS or other delivery services to ensure safe package delivery.

Additional Holiday Safety, Crime, and Theft Prevention Tips

Package theft isn’t the only way residents can fall victim to theft or crime during the holiday season. Here are a few other tips to share with residents to help them stay safe:

• Keep valuables and purchases out of sight: When you’re at the store or the mall, don’t keep valuables or shopping bags full of holiday gifts in plain sight in your car. Rather, secure any such items in the trunk of your car. The same goes for when your car is parked in any publicly accessible parking lot.
• Park your vehicle in a well-lit area close to the store/mall: To prevent theft, ensure you park your car in well-lit, populated areas, ideally as close to your intended destination as possible.
• Don’t make yourself an easy target: To keep would-be thieves at bay, hide your wallet in your inside coat pocket and carry your purse close to your body.
• Monitor your bank account and credit card statements: This will ensure you know if your banking or other personal information has been compromised. If you lose your credit card or suspect fraudulent activity, contact your bank or card issuer right away to prevent your personal information from getting into the wrong hands.
• Protect yourself online: It’s more important than ever to protect your personal information while shopping online. Be sure to shop with established businesses and don’t follow links from stores you’ve never heard of before (especially if shared with you via email).
• Report suspicious activity: If you notice any suspicious activity in your community, report it to community security and/or local law enforcement immediately.

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The holidays are just around the corner. Many properties already have a lot on their plates providing much-needed services for residents. Managing even more packages could take up valuable time that could be better spent elsewhere.

Parcel Pending smart lockers can help make receiving residents’ special holiday deliveries safer and more secure without sacrificing convenience. Reach out to a member of our team today to find the best solution for your property’s needs and budget.

Sources:

1. Moin, David. Shoppers Are Expected to Only Slightly Increase Spending for the 2024 Holiday Season. wwd.com. August 27, 2024. https://wwd.com/business-news/retail/holiday-2024-outlook-slight-gains-expected-at-retail-1236554270/
2. Capital One Shopping. Package Theft Statistics. capitaloneshopping.com. February 18, 2024. https://capitaloneshopping.com/research/package-theft-statistics/
3. National Multifamily Housing Council. Special Delivery: 2018 NHMC/Kingsley Package Delivery Report. www.nmhc.org. November 14, 2018. https://www.nmhc.org/news/press-release/special-delivery-2018-nmhckingsley-package-delivery-report/
4. Edwards, Rebecca. Worst Metro Cities for Package Theft for 2023. www.safewise.com. November 15, 2023. https://www.safewise.com/blog/metro-areas-porch-theft/
5. Capital One Shopping. Package Theft Statistics. capitaloneshopping.com. February 18, 2024. https://capitaloneshopping.com/research/package-theft-statistics/
6. Ibid.
7. National Multifamily Housing Council. Special Delivery: 2018 NHMC/Kingsley Package Delivery Report. www.nmhc.org. November 14, 2018. https://www.nmhc.org/news/press-release/special-delivery-2018-nmhckingsley-package-delivery-report/
8. Parcel Pending by Quadient. 2024 Resident Preferences Report. www.parcelpending.com. August 2, 2024. https://www.parcelpending.com/en-us/resources/2024-resident-preferences-report/
9. Capital One Shopping. Package Theft Statistics. capitaloneshopping.com. February 18, 2024. https://capitaloneshopping.com/research/package-theft-statistics/