Smart (Electronic) Parcel lockers: How much will it cost your organization?
When it comes to the delivery experience, smart parcel lockers, aka electronic parcel lockers, have proven their worth and their benefits continue to evolve due to their adaptive capabilities. However, many organizations question whether the cost of installing parcel lockers is worth the investment.
How much does a parcel locker system cost?
The price depends on two factors: size and use. We’ll explore those factors here, along with two factors impacting the ROI that smart lockers potentially offer to the organizations that invest in them.As electronic parcel lockers have gained in popularity, more brands have entered the market: each will have its own unique product or service options and pricing structure. That said, you should probably plan on an initial cash outlay of between $6,000 and $21,000 for the parcel lockers themselves, plus any fees for customization, installation and service contracts. These additional expenses can bring the total locker system cost to $XXXX or more for the first year.
Because a smart parcel locker system is a significant investment, it’s important to get product features and prices from a range of suppliers. You may want to keep the data in a spreadsheet; this will enable a side-by-side comparison of potential solutions and locker system prices; this should help make it easier to identify the best offer.
Inside this article
Smart parcel locker prices vary by size
Smart locker prices vary by use
Smart parcel lockers reduce labor costs
Smart parcel lockers reduce misplaced packages and mail
Which factors impact the price of a parcel locker system?
1. Smart parcel locker prices vary by size
The size of your smart parcel locker deployment is the first factor in its cost. To determine the number and size of doors you’ll need, you have to consider how many deliveries you typically receive and the types of packages or assets you anticipate handling.
If you’re deploying a smart parcel locker on a university campus, you can easily calculate delivery capacity based on the number of students living on campus or staff working within the building. If your location is a government building you must decide whether you’re using it for employees only or opening it up for public use. In corporate settings the number of full-time or hybrid employees will impact the number of doors needed.
Another consideration you have to make regardless of location is the average parcel size you’re handling. If you deal with larger items, you may need to include some extra-capacity compartments, leading to an overall larger parcel locker installation and cost. Ultimately, the larger the locker system, the bigger the investment.
2. Smart locker prices vary by use
How your lockers will be used also impacts their size, layout and cost. At the base level, a smart parcel locker is used to securely deliver parcels and packages. However, this is hardly the limit of what they can do.
Smart lockers are increasingly being used for self-service asset management and distribution. In a corporate office or government building, staff can check out IT equipment, tools, or documents securely without the assistance of a staff member. The organization’s staff will also be able to track any equipment that’s been rented out and have greater visibility over what equipment is still available for other staff members.
Each of these scenarios impacts the cost of a parcel locker because each requires its own workflow, different numbers and sizes of doors and possibly additional software features.
3. Smart parcel lockers reduce labor costs
Today’s mail centers are inundated with an influx of packages – including both work-related and personal deliveries – and staff find it difficult to keep pace, resulting in lost or misplaced packages. While there are upfront costs to a smart parcel locker system, they are offset by reductions in labor and reshipment costs and by the improved, contactless experience they offer employees.
For corporate offices, a locker system allows the organization’s mailroom to offer unattended package retrieval without having to dedicate additional resources. This is especially a boon for hybrid office environments. Both remote and onsite employees can conveniently retrieve their deliveries when it best suits them, and mail center staff can avoid making multiple delivery attempts or finding room for packages they’re holding indefinitely.
For large offices and smaller organizations that don’t have a mail center, smart lockers create an organized system that keeps incoming mail and packages secure and organized until recipients can pick them up—with minimal staff required to keep the process running smoothly.
4. Smart parcel lockers reduce misplaced packages and mail
The influx of packages corporate mail centers now deal with isn’t just business as usual. Ecommerce is on the rise and employees are consumers too. They’re using their office as a shipping address with every expectation of receiving their online purchases as quickly and conveniently as a home delivery. The repercussions for mishandling or losing packages add up. The average cost to replace a lost ecommerce order is approximately $109 according to one report.
Thanks to smart parcel lockers, the issue of recouping these costs is resolved. Employees and mail center staff alike can rest assured each recipient of a package is automatically alerted to its arrival and that the delivery is protected by a steel enclosure until the recipient can retrieve it.
5. Smart parcel lockers enhance the employee experience
The cost of smart parcel locker system is a small price to pay when you also consider the intangible value of the experience it provides. Smart lockers instill confidence throughout the organization that sensitive deliveries—whether work-related or personal—will reach the right hands. Investing in a system acknowledges the value of everyone’s time by offering a convenient, self-service pickup option. And in times of uncertainty, smart lockers support a contactless business practice that increases everyone’s safety. In all, when employees can rely on a smart locker for their deliveries, it increases their faith that your organization has their best interests in mind.
Learn what the right smart locker system could cost
Because every parcel locker system installation is unique, there is no “one size fits all” pricing guide that can accurately predict what your parcel locker cost will be. It's important to conduct thorough research, because the parcel locker price should be only one factor in your purchase decision. You want to be sure that the parcel locker solution you select delivers value that matches the price. ParcelPoint™ Smart Lockers feature high quality construction with US steel, and are backed by highly responsive, local service.
The smart locker experts at Pitney Bowes will help you configure a smart locker system precisely tailored to your organization’s specific site layout, capacity needs, workflow requirements and budget. If money is tight, special financing terms are available.