# Parcel locker

URL: https://tnb-tech.com/en/glossary/parcel-locker/

## What is a parcel locker?

A parcel locker is a cabinet of compartments in a public place from which a customer collects an order with a code, without waiting in for a courier or minding opening hours. In a shop it is a delivery option of its own: the customer picks one locker, the price and the delivery time are calculated for it, and its address goes onto the shipping label. Size and payment limits differ by operator.

**Example**

A shop sends 500 parcels a month. Locker delivery is offered and costs less than delivery to an address; if 40 per cent of customers take it, that is 200 parcels. At an illustrative €2 difference per parcel that is €400 a month, and failed deliveries drop because nobody has to be at home.

In the shop, the choice is not a text field. The customer sees a map of lockers near the delivery address, searches by street or district, picks one, and reads its opening hours and compartment sizes. The chosen locker travels with the order and reaches the shipping label without being retyped.

Limits are stated up front. A large or heavy parcel will not fit a compartment, and not every locker accepts cash. If you also sell bulky goods, the option is hidden for them rather than chosen and then undone by hand.

**Why it matters for a business**

Lockers changed delivery in two ways: they cost less, and they rarely fail. The parcel waits for the customer instead of the customer waiting for a courier, which removes second delivery attempts and the returns that follow a missed one. For many buyers it is the reason they order from you rather than someone else.

The price of the convenience is accuracy. Type a locker in by hand and someone eventually gets the address wrong; work from an old list and a customer picks a locker that has been removed. So the choice is read live from the courier’s system. On online store development we connect the basket to any courier — Speedy, Econt, BoxNow, Sameday, DHL or another, you choose which: rates are calculated in the basket, the office or locker is picked there, and the waybill comes out of the admin panel.

**What to ask**

- Which operators are supported, and are lockers chosen from a live map?
- Does the chosen locker reach the shipping label automatically?
- What are the size and weight limits, and what happens to a parcel that does not fit?
- Is cash on delivery accepted at the locker, and in what form?
- How many days does a parcel wait in the compartment, and what happens if it is not collected?
- Can the option be hidden for particular products or categories?

- Services: [Online store development](https://tnb-tech.com/en/services/online-store-development/)
- Glossary: https://tnb-tech.com/en/glossary/