Use local collect shipment service
Local collect is a convenient delivery service through which you can have your parcels sent to a nearby post office or a designated collection point instead of your home address. With it, you can choose a preferred location for collection, making it easier to pick up packages at your convenience.
The Pick Up and Drop Off PUDO facilitates customers to collect or drop off their shipments at designated locations instead of waiting for home delivery. These locations can include retail stores, parcel lockers, or shipping facilities, offering greater convenience and flexibility for customers. The PUDO API can also be utilised as a resource for finding drop-off locations. This dual functionality enhances customer convenience by allowing them to access essential shipping options for both sending and returning packages seamlessly.

The SAPIENT system offers two effective approaches for accessing PUDO (Pick Up Drop Off) locations to enhance local collection options for Royal Mail customers. The first method utilises the PUDO API, which allows users to retrieve nearby collection points on an ad-hoc basis during checkout ensuring real-time access to essential location information. These locations also act as a drop-off points for return services that allows customers to return their shipments to a suitable location.
The second approach involves SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol), where customers can download a comprehensive, daily-updated library of all available PUDO locations. Together, these options provide flexibility and convenience, catering to the diverse shipping needs of Royal Mail customers.
With the advancements in the location services, Royal Mail now supports the following new additional location types while also updating the label and pre-advice file:
Lockers (LOK): Convenient parcel lockers available for pickup.
Collect+ Stores (PSH): A network of retail outlets, offering parcel collection services.
The following new fields have been introduced in the file.
Field | Description |
---|---|
Supplier* | Represents the name of the location supplier. |
Supplement Code* | Represents additional identification code for the location supplier. |
Supplier Location Type* | Represents the category of the supplier location, for example, Collect+. |
Unique ID* | Represents a distinct identifier for each collection point. |
Label ID* | Represents a unique identifier associated with the shipment label. |
What3Words Value* | Represents a precise address identifier for the location. |
Final Collection Times* | Represents specified collection times for each day of the week. |
Products | Represents the list products accepted at the location. |
Max dimensions | Represents details regarding parcel size (small, medium, large) and weight limits for parcels that can be accepted at the location. |
Signature | Represents whether the location accepts signature or non-signature shipments |
Services | Represents the list of services offered at the location, for example, pick-up, drop-off, print label. |
Facilities | Represents the information about the available facilities, for example, disabled access, indoor locker, car parking. |
Additional Information | Represents any additional information associated with the location |
Based on your requirements, you can choose various approaches to use the local collect service enhancement by as explained in the following sections.
Utilising PUDO API for local collect enhancement
In the SAPIENT system, the integration of the PUDO API allows Royal Mail customers to efficiently access collection point locations for their shipments. This API is a vital component of the local collect enhancement, offering a flexible solution during the checkout process.
How it works
- Integration Activation: The PUDO integration must be enabled within the Sapient system for customers to leverage this feature.

- Ad-Hoc Calling: During the checkout process, customers can call the PUDO API to retrieve a list of nearby collection points based on their delivery address.
- Result Delivery: The API responds with a real-time list of PUDO locations for selection.
The following new query parameters have been added to the Get PUDO Locations API request.
Element | Description |
---|---|
locationServices | This parameter specifies the available services offered at the PUDO location, such as pickup, dropoff, or print in store. |
includeEnhancedLocationDetails | This parameter determines whether the response includes additional details about each PUDO location. • If set to true, the JSON response will include • If set to false, the response will be limited to the basic details of the PUDO locations without the enhanced attributes. |
The following snippet represents an example JSON response schema of the Get PUDO Location endpoint.
{
"Locations": [
{
"CarrierCode": "RM",
"LocationAlias": "J S Pound Plus",
"LocationId": "2373391",
"Address": {
"Line1": "10 Grasmere Parade Wexham Road",
"Line2": "",
"Line3": "",
"Town": "Slough",
"Postcode": "SL2 5HZ",
"Geolocation": {
"Longitude": -0.5787,
"Latitude": 51.5183
},
"OpeningHours": {
"Monday": {
"OpeningTime": "10:00:00",
"ClosingTime": "21:00:00"
},
"Tuesday": {
"OpeningTime": "10:00:00",
"ClosingTime": "21:00:00"
},
"Wednesday": {
"OpeningTime": "10:00:00",
"ClosingTime": "21:00:00"
},
"Thursday": {
"OpeningTime": "10:00:00",
"ClosingTime": "21:00:00"
},
"Friday": {
"OpeningTime": "10:00:00",
"ClosingTime": "21:00:00"
},
"Saturday": {
"OpeningTime": "10:00:00",
"ClosingTime": "21:00:00"
},
"Sunday": {
"OpeningTime": "10:00:00",
"ClosingTime": "21:00:00"
}
}
},
"enhancedLocationDetails": {
"LocationType": "PSH",
"Supplier": "Collect+",
"SupplierLocationType": "Collect+",
"LabelId": "31262463",
"DistanceFromPostcode": "3.2",
"DistanceUnit": "miles",
"LocationAvailableFeatures": {
"ServiceCode": "TPN|TPS|TPM|TPL|ITL|ITM|ITN|ITS|TRL|TRM|TRN|TRS|ITC|ITD|ITE|ITF",
"AcceptSignature": "True",
"AcceptNonSignature": "True",
"LocationServices": "pickup|dropoff|printinstore",
"Facilities": "carparking"
},
"LocationRestrictions": {
"MaxHeight": "",
"MaxWidth": "",
"MaxLength": "",
"MaxWeight": "",
"MaxSize": ""
}
}
}
],
"TotalCount": 1
}
Accessing PUDO Locations via SFTP for local collect enhancement
The PUDO SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) integration involves establishing a secure connection that enables customers to securely connect to a location to pick up a CSV file containing all the Royal Mail PUDO locations.
How it works
You can use the SFTP solution, if you want to download the PUDO data into your own system to check the PUDO locations that are close by to a given address by yourself.
Important
If you want to set up the PUDO integration, make sure to meet the following prerequisites:
Enable PUDO integration via the Royal Mail Integration Activation screen.
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Create a location for us to connect, and then raise a request to our onboarding team for PUDO data via SFTP by providing your RSA Public Key through a secure gateway. Based on the details provided, our team will respond back with your connection details.
The PUDO SFTP solution provides you with all locations in a single file that you can store as a library.
Tip
The file is generated on a daily basis. To learn more about the file structure and its data, refer to the following example file:
This file is available for download on a daily basis via SFTP. You must first connect to the location, download the file, and then close the connection. You cannot delete or move the file, you can only download it.
Create shipment using local collect enhancement
In SAPIENT, there are two distinct ways to create a Royal Mail shipment aimed at delivery to a PUDO point—one method involves using the direct address of the chosen location, while the other relies on utilising the pudoId
returned from the PUDO lookup, offering flexibility in how shipments can be generated.
To make the LocalCollect shipment request, it is necessary to provide the following information:
- The request must include “c/o” with the location name.
- The ServiceEnhancements code—LocalCollect must be used.
- The Email or SMS notification service enhancement must be used by providing the destination's ContactPhone or ContactEmail information, so the end consumer can be notified when their item is ready to be collected from the post office.
Keeping intact the existing functionality, for a more enhanced user experience, new pudoId
field is included in Address object of the Royal Mail Create Shipment request to recognise the specific Royal Mail location by its unique ID. When the pudoId
field is utilised, the label and pre-advice will be generated with the updated information.
Important
Before providing the
pudoId
, make sure of the following:
- For Royal Mail shipments,
pudoId
is only supported with the destination address (that is, an outbound shipment for a delivery to a PUDO location) as the Royal Mail's Local Collect label requirements only relate to this address. Please be advised thatpudoId
is not used for drop-off to a Local Collect store or Lockers as Royal Mail does not use the Unique ID for shipment drop-offs.- If the
pudoId
is provided for any other address other than the destination address, an error will be returned.- If the
pudoId
is provided for a carrier that does not use PUDO, an error will be returned.- If the destination company name includes “c/o” and the
PudoId
is not populated, the existing Local Collect functionality will continue to apply.
Updated 1 day ago