Parcel locker at the entrance of residential building: how to install

Parcel lockers, parcel terminals or automated postal stations have become a part of our lives and have greatly simplified the process of receiving orders for customers from online stores and e-commerce.

There is a multiple increase in their number in urban and suburban agglomerations with high traffic. Classic locations for parcel lockers are shopping and office centers, transport hubs, bus stops, metro stations, etc.

In recent years the popularity and demand for parcel lockers and ease of installation have led to a new trend of launching parcel lockers in the entrances and entrance areas of residential complexes.

Advantages of installing parcel locker in the entrance of residential building

First of all, parcel locker at the entrance implements the concept of “slippers” accessibility for the consumer. In fact, parcels and goods are delivered almost to the doorstep, while the client does not need to adjust to the delivery time and wait for the courier – he will open the box by himself at any convenient time and pick up the order.

Secondly, the use of parcel lockers for logistics companies is noticeably cheaper and simpler than a courier service. The courier does not need to visit all apartments with the risk of confusing the location, floor, getting lost in residential complexes, wasting time interacting with the recipient, etc., all goods and parcels are loaded into the parcel locker at once.

Thirdly, self-service locker solves the problem of contacts between couriers and residents of the residential complex. There are far from isolated cases of attacks on couriers with the aim of stealing goods, conflicts between couriers and residents when transferring goods or due to their unwanted presence on the territory of a closed residential complex. A parcel locker installed in the entrance area or in the entrance group optimizes the concept of interaction between couriers and residents with each other.

Fourthly, installing parcel locker at the entrance means the implementation of modern functionality for contactless delivery and forwarding, which means it increases the quality of housing and the value of the property for owners.

Scheme of parcel locker operation at the entrance

Residents or management company can choose two schemes for installing and further managing parcel lockers at the entrances of their residential complexes.

Option with operational management by an external company

A third-party operating company takes care of the entire process of organizing the operation of parcel lockers and managing orders: installation, configuration of equipment, integration with online stores, return of unclaimed goods from lockers, return of defective items.

An example is the Moscow parcel terminal project, when a single contractor provides all business processes. More info at Mos.ru.

Self-installation

The customer can take care of all aspects of installing parcel lockers and implementing software. Couriers will be able to place orders by entering residents phone numbers at the parcel locker and residents will accordingly login in the same way and pick up their delivery from the lockers.

It is also possible to implement a model with cell reservations, when residents indicate information about the parcel locker and PIN code for opening cell in the notes to the order.

It is worth considering that this format may have a number of difficulties:

• To access the parcel locker you will need integration with the smart home system
• Couriers can ignore parcel lockers for placing orders
• There is no solution of the problem of abandoned and unclaimed orders at the parcel locker
• There is no possibility to return the order

What else to pay attention

To install a parcel locker, you will need a 220 Volt power socket, as well as an RJ45 computer socket or GSM modem for communication.

The parcel locker consumes electricity. The average consumption is 1-1.5 kW per day depending on the model. The cost is distributed among all residents of the entrance and costs practically nothing for one apartment.

The decision to install a parcel locker at the entrance is made at general meeting of owners, if 2/3 of the votes are positive, the launch can begin.

Why parcel lockers from Smartix?

Our company has extensive experience in the development and implementation of parcel locker systems for e-commerce, and is involved in the production and supply of parcel lockers of various sizes for various business tasks. Our largest customers use distributed networks of more than 1000 parcel lockers.

One of the key areas of our company is installation of parcel lockers in the entrances and entrance areas of residential complexes. We are suppliers of software for parcel lockers for the Moscow parcel locker project, we have the relevant competencies and experience, we perfectly understand the needs of the industry and the specifics of implementing this type of projects.