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Big-box home improvement chain Lowe’s has announced plans to install pickup lockers at all of its 1,700 U.S. stores by the end of March. The company says the self-service lockers are a safe way for customers to access same-day online orders.
The self-service lockers will eliminate checkout time for customers and allow them direct access to pick up their orders quickly, company officials say. The system will rely on digital technology that generates a scannable barcode when an order is ready for pickup. The customer presents the barcode at the locker using their smartphone to collect their online order.
Lockers will be installed in most metro-area Lowe’s by Thanksgiving, the company says.
“Our No. 1 priority is making sure we are keeping things safe for our associates and customers while continuing to provide additional options to make it even easier to shop with us,” says Joe McFarland, Lowe’s executive vice president of stores. “With more than 60 percent of online orders picked up in our stores, this gives our customers one more option and the added convenience and flexibility to control how and when they get that order. This is a significant step in our relentless efforts to create a fast and frictionless shopping experience for today’s time-pressed customers.”
The self-service lockers are now in service in Philadelphia and within New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Lowe’s is banking on contactless retail remaining important even as COVID-19 subsides, company officials say. In a statement, they cite data from McKinsey & Company which reveals more than 60 percent of U.S. consumers using buy online, pickup in store services plan to continue even when after COVID-19.
In August, Lowe’s reported more than $27 billion in second-quarter sales and detailed plans to enhance its supply chain.
