Beyond BOPIS: How Automated Lockers Solve Multiple Challenges
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automated
locker
As retailers adapt and perfect solutions to supercharge their buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) experiences and deliver 24/7 customer convenience, other industries are following suit. Read on to learn how a wide range of businesses now use automated locker solutions to solve their challenges and reach their customers, from contractors and bookworms to sports fans and coffee addicts.
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USE CASES
Public Library
Professional Football Team
Corporate Retailer Headquarters
B2B Oversized Equipment Distributor
Shopping Mall
Specialty Coffee COMPANY
CHALLENGE
An East Coast organic coffee company implemented curbside pickup at one of its most popular retail outlets. When the COVID-19 pandemic caused a spike in usage of this already popular service, it struggled to keep pace. The company wanted to reduce the wait time for its drive-up customers, but doing so would require more employees working at curbside, which meant fewer employees at other critical parts of their operation. The company also needed to serve coffee connoisseurs who wanted their specialty blends but couldn’t shop during normal business hours.
SOLUTION
The company installed automated lockers outside of its retail location and launched a new contactless shopping process. It sends emails to customers letting them know their order is ready and that they can pick it up at the self-serve lockers at their convenience.
RESULTS
100
100%
67%
Net Promoter Score: 100
100% said locker retrieval was faster than counter retrieval
100% would use the locker again
67% used the locker outside normal business hours
WHAT CUSTOMERS SAY
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“Sooooo simple.”
“I didn't have to wait for someone to locate my order and bring it to me.”
“This is an awesome development. Being able to do this outside of business hours especially.”
A public library with multiple branches in a large urban area provides more than books; it also lends household items such as mixers and cake pans. But when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the library to close its branches, the library’s team needed to find a new way to serve its patrons.
The library has installed automated lockers outside of four of its branches and launched a new process where patrons could check out items online. Patrons are notified via email when their items are ready for pickup. Once at the locker, they scan the provided one-time-use access code and retrieve the items at their convenience. Other county libraries in the surrounding area also have added self-serve automated lockers outside their branch locations to extend their hours and provide their patrons with an ongoing contactless solution.
“I’m able to pick up when the library is closed. No line!”
“Took less than 30 seconds!”
“Could get it after hours instead of waiting [until] the next day.”
91% would use the locker again
91%
93% said locker retrieval was faster than desk retrieval
93%
Net Promoter Score: 94
94
A National Football League team with a brand-new stadium hosts regular tours to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at its new space. As part of the tour, fans visit the stadium store and purchase customized team jerseys. Even though all the jersey orders are prepared while the fans complete their tour, the fans return at the same time to retrieve their jerseys. The retrieval process was also bogged down as employees had to search through stacks of completed orders to find each jersey, causing fans to wait in long lines.
The team installed self-serve automated lockers outside the entrances to their stadium store, allowing fans to retrieve their purchased items at the end of their tour with the scan of a barcode. The team also uses the locker system during games and other stadium events as well as promotes the lockers on its social media channels.
93
98%
87%
Net Promoter Score: 93
98% said locker retrieval was faster than counter retrieval
93% would use the locker again
87% made additional purchases
“You don’t have to wait on anyone, just walk up to the locker and scan your barcode. Easy!! :)”
“I used it to make a custom jersey; it was a cool experience, and I would love to do it again.”
“Makes it more fun as a fan to have access to lockers.”
Like many other corporations, this headquarters location has experienced an increase in employee package deliveries for both work and personal items. Packages began piling up due to traveling and vacationing employees, and the internal delivery time was expanding due to the package volume. The location was looking to provide an amenity for its employees while reducing the extra burden on its receiving staff.
The addition of automated lockers for package delivery provides employees at the headquarters location peace of mind that their packages are safe and secure until they are able to retrieve them. It has also freed up receiving staff to focus on business deliveries. Plus, employees use the lockers to receive packages from vendors, keep a family gift a surprise, and save them time.
“So quick and easy! I live in the city, and this is super convenient!”
“Quick and easy and did not have to bother the mail room team to retrieve the package.”
“Very much appreciate this benefit.”
100% said locker was a beneficial amenity
An equipment distributor needed a more efficient way to get its oversized products — everything from giant drill augers to pallets of plywood — into the hands of the contractors who use the material on job sites. In the past, that meant hiring drivers and maintaining trucks to deliver the equipment at the time contractors needed it, often early in the morning. It was expensive and time-consuming.
Oversized lockers installed at the company’s headquarters allow the equipment distributor to store equipment stacked on standard pallets, with room for a pallet jack too. As a result, customers now have a choice: They can pick up their materials at the oversized lockers 24/7 or they can choose jobsite delivery for an added fee.
Reduced expenses for the company.
Expanded options for customers.
24/7 access for customers.
As shopping malls pivot in the wake of the ecommerce explosion, they seek new ways to attract shoppers. One high-end mall in the suburbs near a major U.S. city identified a need for creating a personalized delivery service for people who lived downtown and didn’t have time to drive to the mall. But doing so with home delivery would be cost-prohibitive, so the mall needed a more efficient and effective solution.
The mall operators chose to install automated lockers inside a new and trendy downtown hotel. When a customer orders from any of the mall’s 40 stores, the customer can opt to have their order delivered to the locker via the mall’s personal shopping service. Customers then scan a barcode to retrieve their merchandise at the hotel, a location that’s convenient for them.
Drives foot traffic and provides exposure to the new hotel.
Increase in overall mall business and visibility in highly prominent downtown location.
Convenience for downtown residents and travelers.
Automated Lockers: A Smart Solution for Numerous Business Challenges
These use cases show the power of automated locker solutions. They can help expand your location footprint, extend your hours, and give customers and clients a contactless and convenient experience that’s also scalable and cost-effective. Discover more about how automated lockers can satisfy your customers and improve your bottom line.
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ABOUT
Retail TouchPoints is an online publishing network for retail executives, with content focused on optimizing the customer experienceacross all channels. The Retail TouchPoints network, now including design:retail, is comprised of two weekly e-newsletters, specialreports, web seminars, exclusive benchmark research, an insightful editorial blog and a content-rich web site featuring daily newsupdates and multi-media interviews at www.retailtouchpoints.com. The Retail TouchPoints team also interacts with social mediacommunities via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Package Concierge® is the trusted provider of smart locker solutions. With millions of transactions, Package Concierge® combines expertise and technology to seamlessly automate fulfillment processes for retailers. As the only vertically integrated solution, Package Concierge® products are built in the U.S.A. and powered by proprietary software to deliver on security, design, and functionality. By collaborating with customers to understand and address their evolving needs, Package Concierge® delivers the highest quality solutions to optimize operations and enhance user experiences. Let Package Concierge® help you navigate BOPIS Order Fulfillment with ease. Visit www.packageconcierge.com/retail to schedule your consultation and begin your own pilot program.
