Open Locker Network
Beyond Promotions: How Independent Retailers Can Build Footfall That Lasts
Written by: Parcel Pending
5 Min Read
Published: May 29, 2026
Driving footfall remains a major focus for retailers, and promotions and seasonal offers are still tried-and-tested ways to bring people through the door. But while they can be highly effective in the short term, their impact often fades once the offer ends.
For many retailers, this creates a familiar cycle: continually needing to launch the next offer to maintain momentum. And although promotions will always have an important role in attracting new customers, relying on them too heavily can be difficult to sustain over time.
At the same time, the reasons people visit physical stores are changing. Increasingly, customers are returning to the places that make everyday tasks quicker, easier and more convenient – stores that allow them to get several things done in a single trip.
The more useful a store becomes as part of customers’ everyday routines, the more likely they are to keep coming back. And over time, these repeat, purpose-driven visits can become far more valuable than short-term spikes in traffic driven by discounts alone.
The rise of more purposeful shopping habits
Over the last decade, the growth of online shopping has fundamentally changed how people use physical stores. Online sales in the UK now account for around 28% of all retail¹, compared to 13.6% ten years ago. Alongside this shift has come growing demand for services that offer greater flexibility and convenience, from click-and-collect and out-of-home delivery to self-service options that fit around people’s busy schedules.
As expectations around convenience have grown, consumers’ shopping habits have become more intentional, too. Rather than making multiple separate journeys throughout the week, many shoppers are increasingly looking to combine several tasks into one trip – whether that’s collecting an online order, grabbing a coffee on the go or picking up a few essentials on the way home.
For independent retailers, this shift presents a genuine opportunity. C-stores already sit within the fabric of people’s daily lives – on commuting routes, in residential neighbourhoods and at the heart of local communities. Customers pass them regularly; the opportunity now lies in giving them more reasons to stop.
Building repeat visits through everyday services
In response, many convenience retailers are increasingly looking beyond traditional retail alone and focusing more broadly on the services they can offer their communities.
Food-to-go is one area continuing to see strong growth², meeting demand from customers looking for speed and convenience rather than a full supermarket shop. Some stores are introducing services linked to recycling and sustainability, while others are expanding their role through local partnerships and community-focused services.
Parcel collection and returns are another example of this shift. As online shopping continues to grow, so does the need for flexible and reliable ways to manage deliveries. For many people, home delivery isn’t always the most practical option – missed deliveries, busy schedules and concerns about parcel security are all driving demand for alternatives that offer greater convenience and control.
Smart lockers are becoming an increasingly important part of how retailers respond to these changing habits. They give customers a secure and convenient way to collect or return parcels at a time that suits them, without needing to wait in for deliveries. And as locker collection becomes more widely available across retail and delivery networks, it is increasingly becoming part of how many people manage online shopping day to day.
For local retailers, this creates another opportunity to offer a service customers are actively looking for.
But what makes the experience particularly valuable for consumers is having access to a locker network that works across multiple carriers. This means that, rather than having to keep track of separate collection points for different couriers, customers can collect, return or send parcels from multiple retailers in one place.
Parcel Pending by Quadient’s Open Locker Network is built around that principle, bringing together major carriers including Royal Mail, UPS, DPD and Evri in one shared network. For customers, that means greater flexibility and convenience. For retailers, it creates another reason for shoppers to visit more regularly as part of their everyday routines.
But the role of lockers is expanding beyond parcel management, too. They are increasingly being used as multi-function community lockers, supporting a range of services from prescription collection to key exchange, personal item storage and more. And with around 40% of all locker activity taking place outside core working hours, they continue to serve the community long after stores have closed.
For retailers, it’s a practical way to offer additional services, increase visibility and encourage more repeat visits without adding complexity to day-to-day operations.
What the data tells us
To better understand how convenience-led services influence customer behaviour, we recently surveyed consumers using Parcel Pending by Quadient lockers hosted at retail and community locations. The findings provide useful insight into how practical everyday services can help drive repeat engagement with local stores.
More than three-quarters of respondents (76%) said they had visited a location specifically to use a locker, highlighting how services linked to everyday tasks can become a genuine reason for customers to return regularly.
Importantly, many of those visits extended beyond the locker itself. More than a quarter (27%) of customers said they then went on to enter the store or use other services available at the location, and once inside, 82% made a purchase.
The impact also extended beyond immediate spend, with 41% of respondents saying the availability of a locker improved their perception of the host location overall. That matters because it shows the value of these services goes beyond simply increasing footfall – they can also strengthen how customers feel about a store and how likely they are to come back in the future.
Building for the long term
Promotions and seasonal offers will always have an important role to play in retail. But increasingly, the stores creating the strongest customer relationships are often the ones finding ways to become part of people’s everyday routines.
As shopping habits continue to evolve, customers are placing greater value on convenience, flexibility and services that help simplify everyday life. For independent retailers, that creates an opportunity to build more consistent, long-term engagement by offering services people genuinely rely on.
And ultimately, the stores customers return to most often are usually the ones that make everyday life just a little bit easier.
Ready to explore how smart parcel lockers could add value to your store? Speak with a Parcel Pending by Quadient representative today to find out how you can join our nationwide Open Locker Network and unlock new opportunities.
