Conoce la solución
Servientrega, one of Colombia’s largest courier and logistics companies, has eliminated friction from cash-on-delivery payments in its operations by adopting Bre-b through Cobre.
Colombia has the highest cash-on-delivery rate in Latin America, according to the Worldpay Global Payments Report, and a substantial portion of these payments relies on cash.
Today, Servientrega couriers collect payments using an interoperable QR code at the time of delivery: no cash, no card readers, and no reprocessing.
In Servientrega’s last-mile operations, a significant proportion of cash-on-delivery payments failed on the first attempt due to the reliance on cash as the sole payment method.
Servientrega’s challenge was not logistical, but rather related to collection methods and, to some extent, cultural:
Colombia’s structural conditions highlight this problem. Considering that only 23% of adults own a credit card, 73% of consumers would abandon a purchase if paying by card were the only option; the reality in the country is that today 70% of all transactions are made in cash.
In this context, every cash-on-delivery payment depends on the recipient having the exact amount available at the time of the transaction.
With the launch of Bre-B (the Central Bank of Colombia’s instant and interoperable payment system), Servientrega found the infrastructure it needed, and Cobre was the technology partner that made enterprise-scale implementation possible.
Existing alternatives did not solve the underlying problem: one card reader per route was unfeasible in terms of costs and logistics; accepting transfers to couriers’ personal accounts was neither operational, secure, nor auditable.
By using a Bre-B QR code—that is, a unique identifier linked to a bank account or digital wallet—Servientrega can collect payment immediately, just like a cash payment, but without its limitations.
Cobre created a direct payment-on-delivery workflow by integrating via API with Servientrega’s existing operational systems without altering established workflows.
In this workflow, Cobre acts as an orchestration layer, ensuring full traceability and automatic reconciliation for every transaction.
"Bre-B through Cobre allowed us to bring digital payment to the exact moment of delivery. Today, our couriers complete more deliveries on the first attempt, with confirmation in seconds and without relying on cash."
— Servientrega Spokesperson, Operations Department, Servientrega
The elimination of payment friction, a higher first-attempt delivery success rate, as well as the optimization of resources and costs associated with Servientrega’s logistics operations are some of the benefits of incorporating a payment solution.
By eliminating the cash barrier, couriers complete more deliveries without needing a second attempt. In a country where platforms like Nequi and Daviplata enable more than 24 million users to pay via QR code, what was missing was bringing that capability to the moment of delivery.
The result is a more streamlined delivery process, significantly reducing the need for second delivery attempts and increasing customer satisfaction.
Fewer rejections mean less temporary package storage, less reverse logistics, and less administrative work related to reprocessing.
The ability to accept payments in an interoperable manner ensures that the carrier, the merchant, and the end consumer experience frictionless cash flow and merchandise flow.
API integration does not alter Servientrega’s existing systems or workflows.
Couriers adopted QR codes as a payment option progressively by route, with minimal learning curves and growth exceeding 35% during the initial periods of operation.
Every transaction is recorded with full traceability. Cobre’s infrastructure eliminates manual cash reconciliation, allowing each transaction to be automatically recorded in the system. Finance teams benefit from:
Does your company face the same challenges with cash-on-delivery? Contact the Cobre team and implement Bre-B in your operations immediately.
Bre-B is the Bank of the Republic of Colombia’s instant and interoperable payment system. It enables immediate transfers between any bank or digital wallet via QR code, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
With cash-on-delivery, the courier presents the QR code and the customer pays in seconds from their banking app, without needing cash or change.
No. Bre-B is interoperable by design: the recipient can pay through any bank’s app, Nequi, Daviplata, or any digital wallet enabled in Colombia.
It does not require downloading any additional apps or registering on a new platform.
Cobre offers API integration that connects with existing operating systems without requiring any modifications.
It is also possible to operate directly from Cobre’s business portal without any technical development.
Reconciliation, traceability, and reporting are managed automatically through the platform.
The model is applicable to any company that collects payments at the time of delivery or service: logistics operators, delivery platforms, e-commerce businesses with their own shipping, utility companies, telecommunications, insurance, and field collections.
In a market with between 51 and 61 million annual cash-on-delivery orders, every percentage point of improvement in collection represents millions of pesos recovered.
