Earth Day News: Shopping Online is Green!

Happy Earth Day!  

A recent study by Carnegie Mellon University's Green Design Institute highlights that the environment benefits when you shop online. The study found that online shopping can result in a reduction of CO2 emissions when compared to shopping in traditional retail stores.  

At Kinek, we believe that the Kinek service will further reduce the carbon footprint of online shopping by streamlining the 'last mile' of online delivery and removing the need for couriers to make repeat deliveries.  

The Carnegie Mellon study can be found @ the Green Design Institute website.

The importance of your KN#

You wouldn’t mail a letter without writing the recipient’s name on the envelope. You want to be sure that your letter reaches the right person and including the name helps accomplish that. A KN# is just like a name on an envelope: it identifies a package as being yours.

Once your parcel arrives at a depot, the KN# is entered into the system. Once it is entered, you’ll receive an email letting you know that your package is ready to be picked up.

If you forget to include the KN# when filling out a retailer’s shipping form, the system can’t identify you and your package may be left in limbo.

Always remember to put your KN# followed by the name of the depot you are shipping to in the second address line of a retailer’s shipping form (see the image above for an example).

Big News

A new version of KinekPoint is coming soon. The new version will include several ways to save the addresses of your favourite depots along with your KN#. Check back for updates.

Bloggers spread the word about package theft

As the Prince of Petworth (PoP) recently demonstrated, blogging can be about more than just what you had for breakfast. With a focus on the happenings of many popular Washington DC neighborhoods, PoP’s blog covers everything from real estate and neighborhood development to art galleries and restaurants.

On March 16th, he turned his attention to the issue of package theft. After receiving a number of tips about stolen packages in the Columbia Heights area, he posted a selection of tips he was receiving on his blog and asked for reader feedback.

Hats off to bloggers like the Prince of Petworth who are using their blogs to warn readers about what’s going on in their neighborhoods.

If you’re worried about your package being stolen from your doorstep, try using KinekPoint.

KinekPoint heads to Silicon Valley

KinekPoint is pleased to announce that it has been selected as one of six companies to participate in a business expansion program run by the Canadian Consulate. As part of the program, KinekPoint will take up residence in the Plug and Play Tech Center in Sunnyvale, California. From this incubation center, KinekPoint will coordinate the launch of its service in Silicon Valley.

The launch of the program was recently covered by the San Jose Business Journal. The article can be viewed here.

Good recession news... but hurry!

If there ever was a time to shop for deals on electronics now is the time. Laptops, flat-screen TVs and cameras are all declining in price. Online retailers give consumers the power to compare prices and find the best bargains without leaving home. The only problem is that price drops may be slowing down and may be reaching rock-bottom. You may want to take advantage before it is too late. If you do find that perfect deal and want to get your package more conveniently, why not ship the delivery to a KinekPoint Depot!

Will economic downturn deliver a crime wave?

Experts worry that the combustible cocktail of rising unemployment and deep law enforcement cutbacks may lead to a spike in crime. As the recession deepens, more evidence accumulates that crime is on the uptick. Having your package deliveries left on your front step while you are not home increases the opportunity for a theft. Help limit your exposure by sending your packages to a KinekPoint Depot. Ensure that your important deliveries are not exposed to the threat of theft.

Combine your orders to shop a little greener and save on shipping

If you are a veteran online shopper, you’re probably familiar with free shipping. Spend a certain amount of money, and the retailer will ship your items for free. It may take a few days longer to get your order, but your pocket book will thank you.

There’s another good reason to combine your orders: it makes your shopping a little greener. Say you’re ordering three DVDs from Amazon.com – those would easily fit in one box. Shipping them separately means more packaging, more waste, and more energy spent.












Want to be greener still? Ship them to a KinekPoint Depot! Chances are the courier delivering your package already has to stop by a KinekPoint location and, if the courier tries you at home and misses, you’ll likely have to drive out to their depot to retrieve your package – using more fuel in the retrieval of your shopping.