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The new version of the red Royal Mail postbox will allow customers to send and return parcels up to the size of a shoebox.
A solar-powered barcode scanner will open a drop-down drawer to place parcels that would not fit through the traditional postbox slot, which will remain in place.
It marks the biggest change to postboxes in 175 years.
A spokesman for Royal Mail said: “Our new postboxes of the future offer another convenient way for customers in Norfolk, Lowestoft and elsewhere to access Royal Mail’s services, alongside home delivery and collection, our Customer Service Points, Post Office branches, lockers and Royal Mail Shop outlets.”
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Jack Clarkson, managing director of out of home and commercial excellence at Royal Mail, added: “We are all sending and returning more parcels than ever before.
“This trend will only continue as online shopping shows no signs of slowing, particularly with the boom of second-hand marketplaces.
“Our message is clear: if you have a Royal Mail label on your parcel, and it fits, put it in a postbox and we’ll do the rest.”
Biggest change in 175 years
The new smart features of the “postbox of the future” mark the biggest change to the classic design since the 1850s.
The first red postboxes in mainland Britain were erected in 1853.
But a change was made in 1859, which standardised the colour of all postboxes as green.
Complaints were received by people having difficulty finding these green, inconspicuous postboxes.
A return to the more striking red was specified in 1874. It took 10 years to complete the programme of re-painting.
