London-based sameday courier, Absolutely, has today announced its partnership with innovative location technology, what3words, to significantly improve its last-mile courier collection and delivery accuracy. Now, Absolutely’s courier drivers, riders, customers, and colleagues can identify precise locations for deliveries and collections with just three words.

Deliveries can be frustrating in London. Addresses aren’t always accurate, postcodes often cover broad areas, and access to some buildings may not always be clear.  And for new builds, it can take up to 6 months for the address to be registered. In London alone, there are 14 “Church Roads” and 34 “Victoria Roads”. In fact, 74% of the UK population say guests, deliveries or services struggle to find their homes on a daily basis. These obstacles often complicate the courier’s delivery experience, extending journey times and delaying deliveries.  

This is something what3words is designed to solve. It has divided the world into a grid of 3 metre squares and given each square a unique combination of three random words: a what3words address. For example, ///quiet.going.leaves will take you to  a precise entrance to Spitalfields Market in London.  Now couriers can identify, find and navigate to any front door, specific apartment complex entrance, or a tucked-away side passage using a precise and reliable what3words address. 

Most of Absolutely’s last mile deliveries are made with zero-emission vehicles, and with what3words, drivers can find more delivery locations at the first attempt so routes can be better optimised, helping Absolutely cut out the inefficiencies that create surplus emissions in the last mile.  

Stuart Godman, CEO of Absolutely commented, “Final mile delivery, especially in Central London, can sometimes be a tortuous task due to the challenges of finding the exact location point, therefore what3words’ unique approach will help improve first-time delivery while making life a lot easier for our riders and drivers”. He went on to say, “Our customers will be even more confident of our service finding the right physical location rather than an often vague, or difficult to find, postal address”. 

Chris Sheldrick, CEO and Co-Founder of what3words comments: “London is a busy and lively capital, with a constant stream of deliveries being made everyday. However, inaccurate addressing can make the process frustrating and challenging for both customers and couriers. Now, with what3words, Absolutely can ensure that deliveries will be made precisely, easily, and more efficiently, using just three words.”

Absolutely is pleased to confirm that what3words technology is already fully operational across the company’s delivery hubs and anticipates seeing further strategic improvements over the coming months.