by Walther Ploos van Amstel
The rapid growth of e-commerce has intensified pressure on urban logistics systems, particularly in the last mile. This segment is both the most expensive and environmentally impactful part of parcel distribution, due to fragmented routes, failed deliveries, and a lack of economies of scale. To mitigate these externalities, parcel lockers (PLs) have emerged as a …
Parcel lockers are rapidly becoming part of the everyday postal landscape, and nowhere is that more evident than in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail and Post Office have announced a partnership to pilot parcel lockers at Post Office branches across the country. Over the next six months, lockers will be installed outside selected stores, allowing …
Europe’s last-mile parcel delivery system is approaching a structural breaking point. Rapid growth in e-commerce, driven by platforms such as Amazon, Temu, and Shein, combined with the expansion of recommerce via players like Vinted and eBay, and return-intensive fashion flows from Zalando, H&M, and ZARA, is overwhelming traditional door-to-door delivery and parcel shop models. As …
Belgium is experiencing a rapid expansion of parcel locker networks, prompting the Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications (BIPT) to launch a public consultation on their future development and regulation. Parcel lockers have grown nearly tenfold in six years: by the end of 2024, Belgium counted 1,684 lockers, up from just over 170 in …
In Poland, parcel lockers are as standard as ATMs. Some 25,000 units cover the country; at supermarkets, between apartment blocks, on busy street corners. Enter a code, the door clicks open, done. InPost, the yellow icon of Polish e-commerce, turned lockers into national infrastructure. CEO Rafal Brzoska already believed in 2009 that home delivery was …
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 …
Budbee, part of Instabee, is making a bold move in the Netherlands by redefining parcel delivery: “We’re no longer doing home deliveries,” says General Manager Jørgen Höppener. The company aims to make parcel delivery both genuinely sustainable and profitable. Budbee plans to deliver parcels exclusively to its approximately 1,000 parcel lockers nationwide. This shift is …
Dutch PostNL is opening up its 1,000 parcel lockers machines to other carriers. GLS Netherlands is the first competitor to utilize this network for parcel deliveries. PostNL aims to connect more carriers to the network in the future. This is good news; the future of home delivery is in joint delivery with shared fleets. However, …
Integrating parcel lockers has become crucial as urban spaces evolve, especially with the booming e-commerce sector. A new ULaaDS publication, developed by Bax & Company, with valuable insights from Gemeente Groningen (NL) and the University of Groningen, addresses the rapid expansion of these services and their impact on urban life and public spaces. Key highlights …
Recently, Norway’s Transport Economics Institute published a study on parcel lockers and their impact on CO2 reduction. According to this study, picking up parcels at automated lockers can result in a 30 percent reduction of CO2 in local emissions. This will reduce fuel consumption, CO2 emissions, and local emissions from online shopping distribution. The researchers …