With out-of-home parcel delivery soaring and expected to continue its upward trajectory, both consumers and retailers can benefit from the convenience, affordability and safety of parcel lockers, as InPost explains.
Consumers today crave convenience, and demand for out-of-home delivery solutions is soaring as their unsatiable appetite for online shopping continues. Over 19 billion parcels were delivered out-of-home last year – and that’s expected to reach a huge 30 billion between 2028 and 2029 [lastmileexperts.com].
Long gone are the days when shoppers are willing to wait at home on the off-chance their parcel is actually delivered when it was meant to be. Today’s shoppers want convenience, affordability and speed [Retail Economics], and the reassurance that their delivery won’t disappear from their doorstep into the hands of a stranger. This rise in parcel anxiety is one of the reasons there is a shift in how consumers want to send and receive their parcels, and this is creating valuable opportunities for retailers.
More shoppers are looking to delivery lockers as a solution to this parcel problem. With deliveries safely and securely stored in the lockers until shoppers are ready to collect them, they reduce the risk of parcel theft or missing the postman, and this is one of the top motivators driving locker use [Retail Economics]. With 24/7 availability, self-service lockers never sleep, so there’s no need to worry about long queues in-store or having staff on-hand to support – providing the ultimate in convenience for both shoppers and retailers.
Tapping into a nation of locker lovers
Over half of UK consumers are already using lockers for online purchases – a number that rises to more than two-thirds for Gen Zs and Millennials [Retail Economics]. For shoppers, being able to pick up a parcel while they’re already out and about on a routine shopping trip offers incredible convenience, so it’s not all that surprising that this is the top reason for choosing a locker [Retail Economics]. Locker users are young, busy and they spend more and shop online more [Retail Economics], making them a lucrative audience to attract – especially with the UK e-commerce market predicted to reach US$185bn by 2028 [Statista].
These savvy shoppers are firmly focused on price, with cost considered the most important factor for shoppers when choosing how to receive their parcels [Retail Economics]. And if a delivery price isn’t right, over half of shoppers will simply abandon their online baskets [Statista], so offering affordable delivery solutions like lockers is a must, to avoid missing out on valuable sales.
As one of the quickest, affordable and most convenient forms of delivery, lockers are the perfect parcel delivery solution, and they offer loads of benefits for retailers too. Not only do they attract new shoppers and drive footfall, but they also generate incremental sales, with customers regularly buying other items when visiting a store [InPost].
The sustainability argument
With concerns around climate change shifting consumer purchasing habits, sustainability also has a major role to play when it comes to choosing how we send and receive parcels. Shoppers are keen to do more to protect the planet and opting for delivery to a locker is a much greener choice: 86% fewer couriers are required per 1000 parcels and delivering and collecting dozens of parcels at one locker location reduces the carbon footprint from fleets of delivery drivers in comparison to deliveries and collections from home [InPost]. Last-mile delivery accounts for 20-30% of CO2 emissions [Research and Innovation] – this is reduced by using lockers and 84% of shoppers see them as a more environmentally friendly option [Retail Economics].
Why choose InPost?
InPost is revolutionising parcel deliveries with locker solutions that drive footfall, grow sales[InPost] and offer an additional income stream. The company has the biggest locker network in the UK, with over 7,500 parcel lockers [InPost] and counting. 31% of customers are only seven-minutes’ walk from an InPost location and in key cities, that increases to 62% [InPost].
Retailers can earn a guaranteed rental income for hosting InPost Lockers, providing an additional income stream – it’s a win-win situation. Installation is completely stress-free and non-intrusive, with minimal space needed and any installation costs covered.
Offering InPost Lockers can make a store a go-to location for customers that will pay off in more ways than one. Last-mile delivery equates to about half of the entire delivery cost to the customer. By removing this final step, InPost Locker deliveries are much more affordable for businesses and consumers [InPost].
The demand for lockers is already incredibly strong and it’s growing as InPost continues to expand its network and revolutionise the parcel delivery landscape to offer the most affordable, convenient and fast option, that caters to the diverse needs of customers today.
To find out more about how you can tap into the growing demand for lockers in your store, get in touch with InPost here to provide next level, convenient parcel collection solutions that will appeal to your customers and grow your sales.
