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Q-Park Netherlands received the Dutch Shopping Awards prize for its digital transformation of parking. The PostNL New Technologies and Innovations Award was presented at the Shopping Award Gala on 28 March 2024.

These Shopping Awards are the most important awards for retail and e-commerce in the Netherlands. In selecting Q-Park, the jury of professionals commended the organisation saying: “The winner has been bold to do things completely differently.”

Transformation to a digital parking world

Q-Park won the awards for its digital transformation of the traditional parking world. Back in 2018, Q-Park began developing its innovative parking management technology: ‘Parking as a Smart Service’ also known as PaSS. Q-Park’s platform uses existing hardware in the parking facilities, such as entry and exit barriers. The innovation includes number plate recognition (ANPR) and smart software which manages access, charging and reporting in Q-Park’s proprietary cloud environment. This enables a uniform customer journey throughout Europe.

Thanks to this digital platform, Q-Park can develop and introduce new digital products and services faster and roll these out in all its European markets:  pre-booking a parking space is perhaps the most well-known of these services. Through API integrations, Q-Park works together with partners in the leisure sector such as event organisers, theatres and cinemas. When their customers purchase a ticket, they can also pre-book a parking space for their visit, all in the same online environment.  

Q-Park also works together with mobility partners to integrate last-mile solutions. Besides pre-booking a parking space, customers can also book a bicycle or public transport ticket to travel to their final destination.

Q-Park goes further with the digital transformation of parking services. Customers who use the Q-Park app can park conveniently in all Q-Park car parks, in Amsterdam, London, Paris or Berlin. The barrier opens automatically, thanks to ANPR, and the customer doesn’t have to visit the payment machine before driving out of the car park. What’s more, customers in the Netherlands can use the app to pay for on-street parking anywhere in the country.

To make these innovations possible, many physical changes were made at Q-Park car parks. This was a challenging project because the Q-Park’s car parks operate 24/7 and the upgrade work had a major impact on the traditional customer journey. As a result, cities are more accessible, customers have a better experience and Q-Park has more opportunities to develop new products and expand its customer base.

Q-Park is therefore immensely proud of this recognition. This digital transformation would not have been possible without the hard work and cooperation of its employees and many partners.