s
p
ec
i
a
lr
ep
o
rt
INFORMATION • INNOVATION • INSPIRATION
POWER
AUTHORITY
THE
Building a more efficient lift truck operation?
Start with EnerSys®.
First, you need an industry leading expert who can provide the information you
need to make the right decisions. Then, you need innovative solutions – not just
batteries and chargers – but proven programs and solutions to manage them
efficiently and cost effectively for your operation. And finally, you need inspiration
to see the future of motive power so the choices you make now will carry you into
the future.
As the world leader in motive power technologies, EnerSys® can provide it all.
To learn more about the ways EnerSys can transform your distribution,
production and warehouse operations, call 1-800-EnerSys or visit us
at www.enersys.com.
©2015 EnerSys. All rights reserved. Trademarks and logos are the property of EnerSys and its affiliates unless otherwise noted.
Subject to revision without prior notice. E.&O.E.
38 DC VELOCITY SEPTEMBER 2015 www.dcvelocity.com
e-tailer pays retailers a fee to place its
lockers in their locations.
A MATTER OF CONVENIENCE
Parcel lockers operate on the fringes
of logistics and will likely contin-
ue to do so. But in a world where
digitally obsessed consumers want
as many options and as much con-
venience as possible, no one expects
the model to disappear. In a 2015
survey commissioned by UPS, one-
third of U.S. online shoppers said
they want packages sent to locations
other than their home, compared
with 26 percent in the 2014 survey.
A rising preference for alternate delivery
locations could become a factor in which
retailer a customer selects and which
delivery company handles the goods.
The normal locker pickup process works
like this: Once a package is delivered to a
locker, the customer receives a digital
pickup code via e-mail or text message.
The customer enters the unique pickup
code, as well as personal identification,
on a touchscreen at the kiosk. At that
point, either the assigned door will open
automatically for package collection, or
the customer will be prompted to enter
the compartment number once it appears
on the touchscreen. Generally, customers
have up to three days to retrieve the par-
cels once they receive initial notification.
Parcel lockers today are often used as
a backstop delivery option in the event a
customer cannot accept a package at the
primary location or if the main delivery
point is not secure. Yet that isn’t always
the case. UPS’s “My Choice” program,
which allows end customers to direct their
own deliveries, has an option for users to
redirect their packages to a locker location as long as it’s within a predetermined
distance from the residence, according to
Robinson. USPS has a similar program,
according to Kelly Sigmon, vice president
of retail and customer service operations.
USPS and Amazon also accept returns at
locker locations.
Present-day parcel locker strategy is
based more on customer convenience
than provider cost. But that may change
at some point. For example, UPS sees
parcel lockers and “access points” like
retail establishments that are open late as
important tools to drive down costs by
reducing the frequency of repeat attempts
at delivery, according to Robinson.
“Consumers should keep in mind that
they, too, benefit from the parcel carrier’s
lower operating costs, since the delivery
companies base pricing in part on costs,”
said Rob Martinez, president and CEO of
Shipware LLC, a consultancy.
There are few boundaries to selecting
parcel locker locations. They can be placed
in bodegas, subway systems, condominiums, convenience stores, dry cleaners, or
any establishment that provides access
during off hours when most people pick
