{"id":13765,"date":"2021-08-10T17:29:41","date_gmt":"2021-08-10T17:29:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.parcelpending.com\/?post_type=resources&p=13765"},"modified":"2022-12-13T21:24:31","modified_gmt":"2022-12-13T21:24:31","slug":"retailers-four-indispensable-tips-you-need-before-investing-in-a-parcel-locker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.parcelpending.com\/en-gb\/blog\/retailers-four-indispensable-tips-you-need-before-investing-in-a-parcel-locker\/","title":{"rendered":"Retailers: Four indispensable tips you need before investing in a parcel locker"},"content":{"rendered":"

E-commerce is growing at a staggering rate. Retail e-commerce\u00a0sales globally have reached close to $4.13 trillion in 2020<\/a>, and it\u2019s expected to increase to $4.88 trillion in 2021. With COVID-19 leading to stay-at-home orders around the world, many consumers were forced to take their shopping online. In the UK,\u00a0for example, the Office for National Statistics reports\u00a0that\u00a0\u201cthe proportion of retail expenses spent online increased from 9.1% in April 2019 to 30.7% in April 2020.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0In France the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reported\u00a0that\u00a0\u201cthe market share of e-commerce rapidly increased to almost 10% of total consumer goods during the confinement period, compared to less than 6% in 2019.\u201d\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0 However, while large growth was seen in the e-commerce market, brick-and-mortar stores took a hard hit, with stores seeing record losses in sales as footfall to stores dramatically decreased due to COVID.<\/p>\n

According to McKinsey & Company, retailers who focused on the Customer Experience (CX) were more resilient in downtimes than those who didn\u2019t. Therefore, brick-and-mortar retailers who had already implemented creative ways to combat the loss of foot traffic due to e-commerce pre-COVID fared better than those who did not. One creative way retailers have been able to bounce back is through flexible fulfillment via a\u00a0multichannel shopping strategy<\/a>. By utilising a multichannel strategy, brick-and-mortar stores create a seamless experience for customers, even as shopper expectations and preferences evolve. It is through this strategy that retailers will see the increased revenue and foot-traffic they need to overcome the revenue impact of 2020.<\/p>\n

By implementing Click-and-Collect options via intelligent locker solutions,\u00a0retailers<\/a>\u00a0are optimising the customer shopping experience and encouraging a safe return to physical stores amid changing health and safety needs. Before investing in a tech-forward solution, like\u00a0parcel\u00a0lockers<\/a>, it is important to ask potential locker vendors the right questions based on the following four themes.<\/p>\n

1. Understanding your business needs<\/strong>
\nYour assessment of your business needs should be based on your foundational objectives, such as improved operational efficiency, or customer experience. Once you have this information, you will be able to identify your specific needs as well as the KPIs to measure success. Some important questions to ask include how many lockers your store locations will require, and how much time will your customers save when retrieving their deliveries from the lockers.<\/p>\n

2. Creating a new customer experience<\/strong>
\nClick-and-collect or buy-online-pick-up-in-store (BOPIS) service options enable retailers to create a modern shopping experience. Click-and-collect via lockers\u00a0brings added convenience for consumers by enabling them to retrieve their orders at a time that is convenient for them. Outdoor parcel lockers, for example, offer the convenience of 24\/7 pick-up. When you integrate parcel lockers into your retail strategy, store associates can focus on customer satisfaction and sales, rather than retrieving orders. Better customer service leads to improved revenue as a result of impulse purchases made by customers who come in-store to retrieve their Click-and-Collect orders. Some important questions to ask are how you can utilize your lockers to improve customer satisfaction and engagement, how to increase in-store traffic via the smart lockers, what other benefits you can expect, and if there are any potential risks.<\/p>\n

3. Grow ROI (Drive in-store traffic)<\/strong>
\nWith a convenient, quick, and modern experience, customers are more likely to purchase additional items since their time is no longer wasted waiting in line. By using a BOPIL (buy-online-pick-up-in-locker)\u00a0strategy, the risk of lost items and delays that impact the customer pick-up experience is dramatically reduced. Additionally, BOPIL and BOPIS reduce costs and eliminate errors, saving retailers money in the long term. Consider asking questions about how the lockers will work for your organisation, and what the potential returns are. For instance: Who will be responsible for loading and unloading the lockers? How much time can customers and employees expect to save in the delivery and return process? How will smart lockers improve staff efficiency? And what is the anticipated operational cost savings?<\/p>\n

4. Safety<\/strong>
\nA recent study conducted by weighing solutions provider Shekel indicated that 90% of consumers prefer contact-free shopping experiences such as parcel lockers for Click-and-Collect purchases. As a result, retailers globally are acting fast to implement BOPIL as a means to drive consumers back to brick-and-mortar locations. Parcel lockers offer a safe, convenient, secure, and personalised shopping experience that meets consumers at their preferred touchpoints. Many parcel locker solutions provide a contact-free, self-service process that eliminates long queues and wait times, while streamlining Click-and-Collect processes. This helps cut out unnecessary contact with fellow shoppers and employees while creating an efficient operational process. Therefore, it\u2019s important to understand how a potential parcel locker vendor enables a contactless retrieval and return process.<\/p>\n

Quadient Parcel Locker Solutions<\/strong><\/p>\n

Quadient is the best source for parcel lockers. We provide parcel lockers that are:<\/p>\n