The packaging and custom cardboard boxes that manufacturers, retailers and other parts of the supply chain will use are typically shaped by delivery mediums and final destinations.

Beyond durability, versatility and aesthetics, one critical aspect of a product’s box that is shaped by shipping is its size, which needs to fit around the needs of the manufacturer, the shipping process, the warehouse and the delivery method.

With the development of sophisticated last-mile delivery methods and a greater focus on delivery methods without a final in-person handover, parcel packages either needed to be small enough to fit through a letterbox or robust enough to be securely left in a safe place.

One solution that has become increasingly popular for both small businesses and customers is the parcel locker, which allows packages to be left in a location they know to be secure, accessible via a security code, mobile app or keyfob.

For small businesses and customers without an alternative secure safe place for parcel delivery, it was a seismic shift, but it also changed the shape of parcel deliveries around it.

What Is A Parcel Locker?

Parcel lockers or smart delivery boxes are a type of post office box that acts as an intermediate point between a home or office address and a post office, where parcels can be delivered securely even if the courier does not have access to the delivery address or an appropriately safe place to put them.

They function similarly to a PO box in terms of storing parcels and other post, with the security of the post office staff and protocols replaced with a secure automated locker.

The main difference is that whilst a PO box is rented by a consumer to provide an address for post of all types to be delivered, a parcel locker is typically part of the shipping and delivery cost and is only accessible to store and retrieve one specific shipment, albeit one that could involve multiple parcels.

Before the widespread use of parcel lockers, post offices or parcel sorting offices would provide a similar type of service, but the advantage of the former is that they can be placed almost anywhere, which brings them closer to communities than some of the depots where undelivered parcels used to end up.

Larger corner shops, supermarkets, shopping centres and industrial parks may have a parcel locker, particularly if the nearest post office is too far away or does not open at appropriate hours for people who work long shifts.

Where Did They Originate?

As with a lot of parcel post innovations, parcel lockers originated in Germany in 2001, intending to automate a lot of basic functionality that would ordinarily require a post office. It used a gold magnetic card and a PIN to identify customers, although this would be replaced by transaction numbers and later mobile apps.

Deutsche Post, now known as DHL and at the time the national postal service in Germany, started the pilot scheme to see if there was an interest in a more widely accessible service.

With a growing number of households that did not have anyone at home during delivery hours, it turned out there was a considerable market for the lockers not only in Germany but globally. 

They very quickly expanded in Germany and by 2011 had been installed in hundreds of thousands of locations.

How Did They Change Parcels And E-Commerce?

The parcel locker could not have come at a better time for e-commerce, as it fixed the final issue holding back a home shopping revolution for many people.

Previously, many people who bought online either booked time away from work to collect it or only ordered small packages such as CD-ROMs that could be easily posted through the letterbox. The first online purchase was an album by Sting, by most accounts.

Some people would rent a PO Box specifically for online and mail-order purchases, but a parcel locker streamlined the process significantly, and also helped to allow for bigger parcels to be sent. It has also boosted the confidence of people to buy online, as they are guaranteed a secure delivery space close to their home.

Most parcel lockers have multiple sizes of lockers, including smaller ones for oversized letters and padded envelopes, as well as larger ones for more substantial purchases, although there are limits to how big the lockers are.

These generally standardised sizes have helped to shape modern box shapes and designs, which are often cleverly packaged to maximise the amount of space used and the resilience of the contents in order to ensure that they fit.

This is most commonly seen with assembly kits, as the size of the box will not only shape the arrangement of the components but also their size, which can affect the complexity of the construction process.