Technological innovations such as parcel lockers are often presented as a solution to the negative impacts of last-mile delivery on people, the planet, and business performance. Yet these benefits will only materialize if consumers actually choose to use them.
A recent study applied the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to better understand how consumers can be encouraged to select parcel lockers over home delivery. The focus was on practical, easy-to-implement interventions that online retailers and logistics providers can introduce during the pre-delivery stage.
A vignette-based experiment was conducted, testing whether providing consumers with (1) information about sustainability, (2) information about how parcel lockers work, and (3) information about the distance to the nearest locker influenced their delivery choice.
The research makes two original contributions. First, it explicitly considers the geographical context, often overlooked in similar studies, by comparing consumer responses in the Netherlands and Lithuania. Second, it applies causal mediation analysis to examine not only the direct effects of the interventions but also how consumers’ previous experience with parcel lockers shapes their decisions through UTAUT constructs such as perceived ease of use, expected performance, and perceived risk.
The findings are clear:
- Sustainability information and distance to the nearest parcel locker significantly increased the likelihood of consumers choosing lockers.
- However, the effect of distance was country-specific, underlining the importance of context.
- Familiarity with parcel lockers further increased adoption by making them seem easier, more effective, and less risky.
In short, parcel lockers will not succeed through technology alone. Their impact depends on how consumers perceive them, the context in which they are introduced, and the small but effective nudges that retailers and logistics providers can design into the delivery process.