The collaboration with One Stop, a retailer known for its focus on community-centric retailing, has seen a rapid deployment of InPost Lockers, offering customers a reliable OOH delivery option. With 24/7 accessibility, InPost Lockers provide convenience for shoppers looking to collect or return parcels on their own schedule.

The first locker was deployed in November 2023 at a One Stop location in Derbyshire, with an initial goal to reach 100 lockers by October 2024 – a target achieved nearly three months ahead of schedule.

Furthermore, the collaboration is part of One Stop’s ongoing modernisation efforts. Its focus on enhancing customer convenience aligns with InPost’s offering, according to the OOH firm.

Recent research showed that convenience (36%), lower costs (19%) and speed (17%) are the top three reasons for choosing lockers. The introduction of more InPost Lockers at One Stop stores not only supports One Stop’s strategy to improve instore services, but also caters to the growing consumer demand for flexible OOH delivery solutions.

Neil Kuschel, InPost UK CEO, commented: “The InPost network is rapidly growing, and by leveraging One Stop’s extensive network of over 1,000 stores, we’re not only broadening our reach but also redefining community accessibility. Our collaboration with One Stop exemplifies the power of retail and logistics working together to enhance consumer experiences.

“As the demand for flexible delivery options continues to grow, our aim is to ensure that even more communities benefit from this innovative service by reaching as many locations as possible across One Stop’s managed and franchise businesses, making parcel lockers the go-to choice for UK consumers.”

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The expansion comes as the retailer sees its online business grow rapidly. Currently, almost 40% of Ikea’s total sales are made through online purchases.

Ikea is also working to strengthen its range of delivery and collection services. This is part of the retailer’s ongoing nationwide expansion plan to create a more accessible shopping experience. The growth of Ikea’s mobile pick-up point network in partnership with Tesco is part of this strategy.

The scheme was initially piloted in 2022 before a national roll-out began late last year. Ikea plans to open an additional 100 pick-up points, with half of them due to open this year. Customers are already welcoming the new service, giving it a 91% customer approval rating. 

Jakob Bertilsson, country customer fulfilment manager, Ikea UK, said: “The opening of our one-hundredth mobile pick-up point marks an exciting moment for our journey to become more accessible. As we continue to see a shift in our visitors’ wants to shop even more conveniently, we need to constantly develop and improve with better and more affordable services.

“Our ambitions to double our Click & Collect offering, combined with the strengthening of services such as Ikea Home Delivery, means we are now closer than ever to people in all parts of the UK.”   

To use the Ikea mobile pick-up point service, customers can simply go through the usual online checkout process and select Click and Collect for their local Tesco store. On their chosen delivery date and time, customers can follow the Ikea Click and Collect signage within their local Tesco carpark and meet with a delivery driver, who will hand over their order.            

Simon Williams, Tesco’s assets and estates Director, added: “We’re always looking for ways to serve our customers better and help make their shop even more convenient. We are pleased to be working with Ikea to give their customers the option to collect orders from more of our stores. We are proud of this 100th Click & Collect point milestone and hope this continues to improve the shopping experience for Tesco and Ikea customers.”

Ikea’s online offering is looked at in a company profile in the new RetailX Top500 Brands D2C: Europe 2024.

The full report explores how brands from around the world sell to shoppers in the 30 countries of the European Economic Area (EEA), plus the UK and Switzerland. We rank brands by footprint sizes and by performance in four value chains, which are designed to assess how brands build profitable businesses around the customer, the product, operations and capital.

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The retailer works with InPost Lockers to provide parcel collection and return services, offering a convenient out of home (OOH) alternative to parcel deliveries being made to home.

InPost has reported that locker use is continuing to grow in popularity, and more than half of UK consumers are now using delivery lockers for online purchases. With Co-op stores located at the heart of local communities, the growth of the InPost partnership will provide added services to meet the community’s needs.

Chris Conway, Co-op ecommerce director, said: “Our focus is to make things easier and more convenient for our member-owners and customers, and with our stores located conveniently in high streets, transport hubs, university campuses and residential developments, InPost Lockers can help residents and time-pressed shoppers in our communities pick up or return parcels at a time that is convenient to them, on their way to or from work or when they pop out to pick up their groceries, quickly, easily and conveniently.”

Aldi announced in March that it would introduce lockers outside 22 of its stores across the UK as part of a 12-week trial. While Morrisons is targeting nearly 400 lockers across its store network as part of InPost’s longest-standing supermarket partnership.

Neil Kuschel, InPost UK CEO, commented: “Last year alone, the number of parcels we handled doubled to 46.5 million proving that UK consumers love the locker experience. In fact, over half of UK shoppers have used parcel lockers and 62% of the population in London, Birmingham and Manchester live just a seven-minute walk from an InPost Locker.

“This trend continues to gain momentum and our mission through our new partnership with Co-op is to continue driving this growth and make locker delivery the “go to” choice for the UK consumer.”

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More than 700 locations are now live in shops including Londis and independent newsagents, with 5,000 planned by summer.

Royal Mail customers are able to drop off packages up to large parcel size using 1st and 2nd class and Tracked 24 and Tracked 48. This applies to both returns and items that someone has paid for the postage for online and either printed a label or generated a QR code.

“We know that people today want as many options as possible to make their lives more convenient, which is why we continue to provide our retailer partners with additional services and market leading brands that drive footfall and generate commissions,” said Nick Wiles, CEO of PayPoint.

In the future, the service will be expanded to enable customers to collect online purchases. It follows the announcement that Royal Mail will start offering customers the chance to drop off returns and outbound parcels using parcel lockers, using the Parcel Pending by Quadient Open Locker Network.

Nick Landon, chief commercial officer at Royal Mail, said: “By giving our customers access to the Collect+ network we are significantly increasing the number of locations where they can drop off parcels and giving them more options to do so during weekends and evenings.

“This helps us meet demand from the growing number of customers who pay for parcel postage online and is one of the ways we’re continuing to make sending and receiving parcels as convenient as possible by giving customers greater choice.”

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In fact, 82% have chosen home delivery over Click and Collect purchases over the past 12 months. Features of collection services that are putting shoppers off included poor store proximity (31%), queues (23%), inconvenient opening hours (14%), and shared screen technologies (7%).

The research – conducted by UK-based Clix Technologies – found 85% of respondents were receptive to using Click and Collect more if the experience was right. They wanted to be able to collect outside of normal store hours (25%) and would like to see dedicated store collection points (12%).

Matt Cater, co-founder of Clix Technologies, said: “It’s certainly positive to see new evidence that UK consumers are keen to embed Click + Collect into their shopping journeys, particularly as the model offers retailers so many benefits. When implemented well, retailers are seeing reduced costs, more efficient staff deployment, increased store footfall and better customer satisfaction.

“However, there is clearly room for improvement across the retail industry, and adoption rates could be far higher if shopper convenience was given more consideration.

“This new insight shows that while there is a healthy desire for improved Click + Collect journeys, only 11% currently choose the service at every opportunity, proving that there is remarkably high growth potential for those retailers ready and willing to embrace the clear appetite from consumers.

“Retailers must evaluate the overall experience of Click + Collect, accommodate today’s tech-savvy consumer expectations, and offer the fast, convenient, and seamless experience that consumers now expect.

“This can be achieved by implementing innovative and emerging technologies, such as frictionless mobile-first, cloud based systems, which eliminate the pain points of clunky, legacy Click + Collect experiences.”

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Visitors to Homebase stores can now pick up or return items in-store. The retailer said not only does this avoid queues, but it also frees up staff to solve customer queries. Additionally, it opens up new options for online deliveries.

Neil Robinson, head of property at Homebase, explained: “The introduction of smart lockers makes it even easier for customers to pick up or return their online deliveries in-store, as well as acting as an extension of our own click and collect service.”

This latest partnership is a further step on Quadient’s journey to roll out 5,000 open locker locations across the UK. It has recently collaborated with the UK’s largest pub group Stonegate Group, which included Yates, Slug and Lettuce and Walkabout, to introduce parcel lockers at some of its sites.

Royal Mail will also introduce parcel locker services for the first time this May as it joins the Quadient Open Locker Network.

“Consumers expect convenience at every touchpoint in their online shopping journey. Our ambition is to provide an unparalleled service for all players of the ecommerce value chain, consolidating multi-carrier parcel flows and creating an exceptional customer experience,” added Katia Bourgeais-Crémel, EVP Parcel Locker Solutions Europe at Quadient.

“By installing our open lockers alongside its other in-store services, Homebase can become a one-stop shop for customer needs, all while freeing up in-store staff and team members and reducing the environmental impact of parcel deliveries.”

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Initially the parcel locker partnership will launch at 200 sites by May 2024, with the expectation that Royal Mail will ultimately use lockers in 3,000 locations as the UK network grows.

Harnessing Quadient’s open locker network, available in convenient locations such as forecourts, Stonegate Group pubs and Apcoa parking sites, Royal Mail will start by offering the ability to drop off returns or send parcels in branded and dedicated Drop Box units. This will be expanded in the future to include the collection of items sent directly to lockers and the redelivery to a locker.

Martin Seidenberg, group chief executive of International Distribution Services, said: “Our expansion into lockers with 24/7 access will give our customers even greater choice of more than 21,000 locations to drop off parcels. We want to make it as convenient as possible for customers to send and return parcels, fitting it in around their daily routines with a range of options for different lifestyles.

“We are continually finding new ways to improve our services, including more online postage options through our website and app, 24/7 drop off at locations like our parcel postboxes, use of Collect+ stores and Post Offices, and collection from home through Royal Mail Parcel Collect.”

Royal Mail is the largest carrier to join Quadient’s Open Locker Network, along with Evri, DHL, DPD and UPS.

The outdoor and indoor open locker network is designed to allow consumers to send, return and pick up parcels at a time that suits them. The network includes Quadient’s Parcel Pending Drop Box lockers with built-in label printers, that allow consumers to ship merchandise returns and other parcels without needing to have a pre-printed label or access to a printer at home.

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Quadient has already started rolling out its carrier-agnostic parcel lockers across Stonegate’s 1,200 managed properties.

“We believe pubs sit at the heart of British culture and support any move that can turn them into even more of an asset to the local community,” said Claire Rust, senior buying manager, Stonegate Group.

“Parcel Pending by Quadient smart lockers enable people living near our pubs to easily and securely pick up and return online deliveries from a convenient, trusted location. From Plymouth to Glasgow, introducing parcel lockers to our sites is already benefitting customers and the local community.”

Already used by DHL, DPD UK, Evri and UPS, Quadient’s Open Locker Network allows pub customers and local residents to pick up and return items at any time. The lockers’ built-in ability to print shipping labels simplifies the returns process, and their secure construction keeps valuable items safe from package theft, which a recent Quadient Police FOI request revealed rose more than 500% in four years.

Katia Bourgeais-Crémel, EVP parcel locker solutions Europe at Quadient, added: “Our vision with the Quadient Open Locker Network is to allow consumers to access lockers anywhere and ideally combine pick-up with other trips as part of everyday life. As established community assets, Stonegate’s pubs make natural host locations.

“Our research found most consumers recognise that lockers benefit their community, making the environment safer by reducing delivery van traffic and opportunities for theft. We are looking forward to further expanding our network with Stonegate Group and giving people even more places to conveniently pick up and return parcels.”

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Throughout March, InPost lockers will be available outside 22 Aldi stores across the country. The trial will conclude after a 12-week period, with the aim to roll it out to more stores if successful.

Richard Thornton, communications director at Aldi UK, said: “We are all about making things efficient for our customers, and the installation of InPost lockers will make shopping at Aldi even more convenient.

“People can collect or return parcels while they are doing their shopping, with the lockers accessible with a QR code. If the trial is successful, this will hopefully be something available to lots more of our shoppers later this year.”

Aldi offering a parcel locker service is an interesting move after the discount supermarket scrapped its home delivery services last year. The DeliveryX Europe Top1000 report highlighted that Aldi’s only online offering is a click-and-collect service. It stopped delivery of alcohol in January 2023, and Specialbuys deliver in the autumn.

The German company said it was working with “colleagues to understand the impact of this change for our people. This will involve exploring different options for our colleagues across Aldi”.

Since then the supermarket has “paused” click-and-collect at 12 stores due to lack of demand for the collection offering. Aldi stressed that footfall and sales “continue to grow rapidly”’ in the regions where the branches are located.

While supermarkets across the UK have been exploring ecommerce offerings, Aldi – recently ranked in the Top150 retailers in the UK – continues to focus on bricks-and-mortar stores. Its current target is 1,200 stores across the country.

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Consumers can either print the label at home or bring a QR code into the store. It comes as IMRG reports that locations such as convenience stores and lockers have become amongst the most common places people choose to have parcels delivered, other than their home.

The multi-year agreement is expected to start rolling out from March, and will extend to 5,000 Collect+ points by the summer. Royal Mail added services will expand in the future to enable customers to also collect online purchases.

Martin Seidenberg, group chief executive of International Distributions Services, said: “This partnership is an important part of Royal Mail’s strategy to make our services even more convenient for customers and to give them the widest possible choice of where and when they can send parcels.

“As consumer preferences have evolved, Royal Mail has already opened up a variety of new ways for customers to access its services, including more online postage options through our website and app, 24/7 parcel postboxes and collection from home through Royal Mail Parcel Collect.”

There is increasing demand from customers for convenient ways to drop off parcels, with around 50% of all Royal Mail non-account sales now online. The 5,000 Collect+ locations add to Royal Mail’s existing partnership with Post Office and their 11,500 branches, plus 1,200 Royal Mail Customer Service Points and 1,200 24/7 parcel postboxes currently available for customers to drop off items.

The Collect+ partnership will provide customers with the benefits of the full range of Royal Mail’s online postage options combined with a significantly expanded network of drop off locations with convenient opening hours including evenings and weekends.

Nick Wiles, CEO of PayPoint, added: “We are delighted that Collect+ will be playing a key role in our partnership with Royal Mail. As consumer channel shift continues to move towards Out of Home, our fantastic retailer partners will now have an even greater opportunity to serve the needs of their customers in communities across the UK through our leading Out of Home network.”

“We remain fully committed to investing further in the in-store consumer experience, through technology and operational support for our retailer partners, as well as continuing to grow our Collect+ network to service the strong growth in this area.”

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