Online shopping is growing with millions of purchases made every day. According to Statista, the UK e-commerce industry will continue to grow every year and reach a value of £153bn by 2027. Find out how retailers are getting a slice of the action by adding parcel lockers to their list of services.
Home delivery has been widely accepted as the number one option for consumers to receive their shopping purchases. Queuing up at the local Parcel store, printed label in hand, is how consumers usually return their items.
But consumers are increasingly disgruntled with home delivery. Recent Ofcom research found that two-thirds of consumers (65%) reported a delivery issue in the last six months. The most common complaints made were parcels being left in a strange location or the recipient not being given enough time to answer the door. While 48% of consumers reported returns are too slow and admin heavy[InPost].
Consumers are looking for more convenient ways to receive and return their online purchases – that’s where parcel lockers come in.
Now consumers can pick up and return their parcels outside their local convenience store. InPost’s services operate 24/7, with many allowing the user to send, collect or return without a label. What’s more, InPost parcel Lockers are CCTV monitored for peace of mind.
What’s in it for retailers?
- Drive customers to your store:
Parcel lockers are a fantastic customer magnet for retailers. Placing a locker right outside a store gives the local community a reason to visit. Adding parcel lockers as a service also attracts new types of customers. For example, the typical InPost Locker user is aged 18-34, using brands such as Boohoo, PrettyLittleThing and ASOS.
- Increase sales:
According to a survey of 2,000 locker users, InPost found 54% made a purchase in store with half of them spending more than £20. Nearly 1,000 of those InPost users said that using the locker was the main reason for their purchase in store[InPost].
InPost retailer Goran Raven, who owns Raven’s Budgens Abridge in Essex, says: “I have recommended InPost to a lot of other retailers. The installation was straightforward and simple. The locker has been a big hit with our customers. There is a constant stream of customers using the locker then walking in store.”
- Earn additional income:
Retailers earn a guaranteed rental income when they host an InPost parcel Locker at their store. There are also no installation costs or set-up fees. To find out more about rental amounts, please get in touch with the InPost team through the link at the end of this article.
- Improve customer experience:
UK consumers are crying out for an alternative way to pick up and return their online orders. By hosting parcel lockers at their stores, retailers provide locals with a more convenient option to fit their busy schedules.
Matthew Fearn, Head of Independents at InPost, says: “Independent retailers face all of the challenges that other retailers do but have the added pressure of being owner-operators. Margins have been squeezed in recent years and hosting a parcel locker helps to alleviate some of that pressure.”
Driving footfall helps to get more shoppers in store and more money into tills. Over one-third of people who use a locker are visiting the store for the very first time so it’s win-win for the shopper, retailer and InPost[InPost].
If you’re considering a parcel Locker at your store, InPost has the largest and highest quality network of lockers across the UK – 6,400 sites and growing.
InPost will create a bespoke solution for the individual retailer and their location. The company carries out a site survey, agrees a suitable solution with the retailer and handles the installation process. The store’s details are then added to the InPost database and offered to consumers as a parcel pick-up or drop-off point.
To find out more about how you can delight your customers and improve footfall and sales, speak to InPost here.
