The Next Normal for Holiday Packages at Multifamily Communities

As online shopping continues to alter consumer behavior, the holiday delivery season has become longer, less predictable, and more challenging to manage. This blog explores how multifamily communities can adapt to residents’ changing shopping habits and the resulting, unpredictable package volumes that are stretching over months rather than weeks.

The Holiday Season is Getting Longer & Less Predictable

In the past, Black Friday marked the start of the holiday shopping season, but now consumers kick off the season with Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days (and other competing retailer sales events) in early October or even sooner. This year, some millennials reported starting their holiday shopping as early as August. This comes as PWC projects that 80% of planned purchases will be completed by the end of Cyber Monday.¹

While this would appear to be good news for multifamily communities – with purchases spread out over a longer time instead of being compacted into the few short weeks between Thanksgiving and December 25 – gift cards are complicating the situation. More shoppers plan to purchase gift cards this season to control spending while still allowing recipients to purchase what they want.  But, recipients typically redeem gift cards after Christmas when retailers offer deeper discounts. This means properties will likely begin to see a steady stream of packages starting as early as August or September and extending well into January in years to come, with volumes amplified around retailer sales events and when shoppers are redeeming (and often spending beyond) their gift card values.

Porch Pirates are Taking Advantage

Porch pirates remain a persistent threat to apartment dwellers. According to Capital One, apartment residents are twice as likely to have a package stolen than people who live in houses.² In fact, a recent Vivint survey revealed 37% of apartment residents have fallen victim to porch piracy.³ Further, as holiday shopping continues to move online, package thieves are increasingly taking advantage; the Vivint survey showed Black Friday as seeing the most package theft reports, closely followed by Prime Day.

This means that purchases from any major online sales events – during the holiday season or otherwise – are more vulnerable to porch pirates and any properties that leave residents’ deliveries unsecured could be making them unwitting targets.

How These Shifts Translate into Package Management Problems

The longer holiday shopping season, combined with unpredictable pop-up deals throughout the rest of the year, translates into a near-continual package management problem – one that properties cannot afford to “ride out” or ignore. A 2025 National Business Research Institute (NBRI) survey of apartment residents saw 95% of respondents agreeing with the statement “Knowing my package is secure until I am home and able to retrieve it is important to me.”⁴

Deliver MORE with Smart Lockers

The value that residents place on secure package management cannot be overstated: 84% of renters who have access to a smart locker system believe it reduces theft, and additional outside research shows that lockers can lift lease renewals by as much as 40%.^5,6

Smart lockers can also deliver a number of other benefits for residents and property staff including:

• MORE Accessibility: Residents enjoy 24/7/365 access to packages. No more waiting in line at the leasing office or for off-site delivery services; packages are available on residents’ schedules.
• MORE Efficiency: Property management teams gain immediate relief from the challenges of complicated package distribution logistics, saving up to 24 hours per week by implementing lockers.
• MORE Retention: Satisfied residents stay longer, dramatically reducing costly turnover expenses that impact the bottom line. They also become enthusiastic advocates, generating positive word-of-mouth and quality referrals for a fraction of traditional marketing costs.
• MORE Support: With Parcel Pending by Quadient as their package management partner, property management teams receive dedicated assistance from installation through implementation and ongoing operations. Residents benefit from live customer support available seven days a week, ensuring smooth operations for everyone.
• MORE Revenue: One in five renters is willing to pay extra for secure package delivery, with 20% willing to spend over $20 monthly for added peace of mind. The most significant revenue opportunity comes from resident bill-back programs: properties purchase or lease lockers then bill residents based on a per-unit cost. A typical 300-unit community can generate $1,500-$3,000 in monthly recurring revenue through this method alone. Additionally, implementing an initial registration fee at move-in is also a revenue builder.

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Package management has become a year-long issue, not just a short-lived holiday inconvenience. Smart lockers are a smart decision: they prevent porch piracy, retain residents, boost satisfaction and efficiency, and increase revenue

Ready to lock in your resident package management solution? Speak to a Parcel Pending representative today.

Sources:

1. Furman, A., Ketzel, J., Pedersen, K., & DeSantis, C. A seasonal remix: Value, meaning and generational shifts. www.pwc.com. September 3, 2025. https://www.pwc.com/us/en/industries/consumer-markets/library/holiday-outlook-trends.html
2. Capital One Shopping. Package Theft Statistics. capitaloneshopping.com. June 4, 2025. https://capitaloneshopping.com/research/package-theft-statistics/
3. Vivint. Porch Pirates in the Hallway: 1 in 4 Renters Suspect a Neighbor Took Their Package. www.vivint.com. n.d. https://www.vivint.com/resources/article/apartment-porch-pirate-report-2025
4. Parcel Pending by Quadient. 2025 Resident Preferences Report. www.parcelpending.com. October 31, 2025. https://www.parcelpending.com/en-us/resources/2025-resident-preferences-report/
5. Survey results gathered from case studies conducted with residents at Cortland Partners properties.
6. Vivint. Porch Pirates in the Hallway: 1 in 4 Renters Suspect a Neighbor Took Their Package. www.vivint.com. n.d. https://www.vivint.com/resources/article/apartment-porch-pirate-report-2025