Unbeatable Benefits of Smart Package Lockers for Retail Stores

There are endless retail trends to experiment with these days, but improving your BOPIS system with smart lockers is a no-brainer. Smart lockers are practical and easy to use, offering unmatched convenience for retailers and shoppers.

Unbeatable Benefits of Smart Package Lockers for Retail Stores

Increase foot traffic

Smart lockers can drive in-store foot traffic. Take Whole Foods as an example. After Amazon acquired the food market, Amazon Hub, the e-commerce giant’s line of smart lockers, started popping up in Whole Foods stores around the country. The result? Micro-visits, or visits lasting between three and five minutes, increased by 11% at Whole Foods locations with smart lockers.

Reinforce your branding

Smart locker installations are customizable, so you can tie them in with your branding.

Some examples of things you can do:

Draw inspiration from your brand color pallet to choose a hue for your lockers
Feature your logo or wrap lockers with images that reflect your brand’s attitude
Customize the configuration of the bank to complement the existing flow of your store footprint

Not only do branded lockers reinforce your brand in-store, but they advertise your click and collect option and offer consumers a visual cue of where they can pick up deliveries.

Reduce shipping costs

Consumers expect a lot from retailers, including fast, free shipping. According to NRF’s 2018/2019 Winter Consumer View, nearly 40% of shoppers expect free two-day shipping. Further, about 30% of shoppers back out of purchases if retailers don’t offer free two-day shipping.

Smart lockers offer an alternative last-yard delivery option that can help offset shipping costs. Plus, when people use click and collect, you get another chance to cross-sell when they enter the store.

Make for smoother returns

Shoppers crave convenience at every retail touchpoint, including during the return process.

Here are a couple of ways smart lockers make in-store returns even easier.

Customers have a convenient alternative to the cumbersome process of returning items through the mail or in-store. They also receive refunds quicker than they would by sending items in the mail.
For retailers, using smart lockers for returns cuts down on return shipping costs, frees up time for customer service associates, and increases foot traffic to the store.

Speed up the pickup process

A Bell and Howell survey shows that a quick in and out experience is, by a landslide, the most important click and collect attribute. Not to mention, 37% of people use BOPIS because they needed an item the same day. Suffice it to say, speed is paramount to convenience-driven click and collectors.

Smart lockers are just the ticket to speeding up your BOPIS process. Customers don’t have to wait in long customer service lines, And since smart lockers are 100% automated, shoppers can be in and out of the store in just minutes.

Keep orders fresh

Given how BOPIS has taken off the past couple of years, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that grocery stores are offering the fulfillment option as well. However, grocery click and collect presents the unique challenge of how to keep items fresh for a prolonged period.

Using refrigerated smart lockers is a foolproof way for retailers to keep produce, dairy, and even temperature-sensitive medications chilled until they’re ready for pickup.

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Overall, smart lockers are proving to be a benefit to both retailers and their customers. If you’re interested in installing smart lockers at your retail location, contact us to learn more.