Giving customers what they want
InPost Network Director Paul Selvey explores new consumer research showing that 40% of UK shoppers already use parcel lockers – and why demand for lockers is growing faster than ever.
“Historically, the industry has driven how and when customers receive their deliveries. Now, customers are demanding control of when they send and receive their parcels, but they also want to do so in an environment that is convenient for them.
My background is in FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods), so if your parents told you not to eat it, I’ve probably sold or marketed it at some point – from biscuits and crisps to soft drinks and chocolate.
A couple of years ago, I made the jump to InPost because I could see a major shift happening in the parcels industry. When I worked in FMCG, we often talked about the point in a category’s lifecycle when convenience moves from being a “nice-to-have” to the factor that drives growth.
The parcel delivery system is at that tipping point now.
As a locker-first organisation, InPost is perfectly positioned to deliver what customers want. Across Europe, particularly in Poland and our other markets, the proportion of parcels delivered out-of-home versus to door has grown exponentially and is now the norm in many regions. Reflecting this shift, InPost continues to scale its network rapidly: in Q4 2025 alone, the company added 14.2k lockers, expanding its out-of-home network to 94,536 points.
The UK has been slower to adopt this model. Over the last 15 to 20 years, the industry has been incredibly successful in building a delivery model centred around the doorstep.
But what we’re starting to see now is a shift in customer behaviour. After the peak of COVID, many expected e-commerce growth to plateau. Instead, online volumes have continued to accelerate. At the same time, our lifestyles have changed – we’re working longer hours, our lives are busier, and our time is under even more pressure. Traditional delivery models are struggling to keep up with these real-life needs, creating frustration for shoppers and operational burdens for retailers and merchants.
To get a better understanding of this consumer behaviour, last year we conducted research with more than 2,000 UK consumers. We wanted to quantify the fact that locker use isn’t niche anymore, it’s mainstream. 41% of UK consumers already receive their parcels via lockers with 44% sending them this way, and adoption continues to accelerate.
Our research findings show that customers increasingly want control over where their parcel is delivered and when they collect it. They want convenient solutions that fit seamless into their daily lives, and this is one of the biggest drivers behind the growth in parcel locker use.
Generational trends also have a big role to play. Younger, more tech-savvy customers already account for around two-thirds of InPost users, and these are affluent shoppers to attract with an average income of around £49k, so they’re a valuable and growing customer base who are shaping the future of retail. They’re also the demographic telling us, “I don’t want to miss a delivery and I don’t want to be told when I have to be home to accept one.”
Security is another significant concern for customers and a driver for locker use. A recent report estimated that more than £600 million worth of parcels were stolen from the doorstep in the UK – a scary amount. And our research backs this up with figures showing that more than a third of consumers experienced an issue with their most recent delivery, including missed deliveries, lost packages and parcel theft. InPost provides a solution to that problem by delivering parcels to secure lockers and giving customers more time to collect them from a location that is convenient for them.
There’s also the appeal of minimal interaction. Gen Z, in particular, are used to digital customer service in shops. Many don’t want to queue in a shop, ask someone behind a counter for a parcel or answer the door to a courier. With a locker, the process is simple just scan a barcode. If they’re returning something, it’s often label-less and handled automatically, making the whole process easy and stress-free.
Across the UK, InPost’s delivery network is scaling rapidly. Today, over 50% of the UK population lives within reach of an InPost Locker. Currently, 75% of the population in the top three cities (Birmingham, Manchester and London) live within a 7-minute walk of an InPost out-of-home point, allowing us to reach over 51% of the entire UK population.
While the majority of InPost users are Gen Z and Millennials, as the parcel networks expand and make it more convenient for people, all demographics will start accessing lockers as their preferred delivery mechanism.
For the businesses hosting lockers – from supermarkets to petrol stations and retail parks – the benefits are huge. More than half of locker users say they visit a location specifically because there is a locker there, and 64% return more frequently as a result of the locker. But they’re also spending when they do, with 78% making a purchase during their visit to a retail location. So just by having the locker, retailers are driving footfall, incremental spend, and attracting a whole new customer base, all while earning a rental income for the space, creating significant opportunities for retailers and landowners.
We firmly believe that the UK’s delivery system has reached breaking point as consumers are no longer willing to tolerate the frustrating challenges associated with traditional delivery solutions. As parcel delivery becomes a defining point of the shopping experience and consumer behaviour shifts, we need to adapt to their needs by providing more of what they want – delivery solutions that offer security, convenience and peace of mind.
But the growth of out-of-home delivery relies on collaboration across the industry. All logistics providers have a role to play in this, as do the retailers and landowners who host lockers and pick-up and drop-off points. Just as importantly, merchants need to ensure that locker delivery options are clearly visible at checkout so customers can easily choose them.
Today, the UK is still predominantly a doorstep delivery market. Around 90% of parcels are delivered to the home, with only around 10% delivered out-of-home. Across much of Europe, those numbers are reversed so the growth opportunity this gap represents is immense.
Customers are already telling us what they want. As an industry, our job is to listen.”
About Paul
Paul Selvey is Network Director at InPost UK, leading the development and deployment of InPost’s expansive locker and network infrastructure across the UK and Ireland. He is responsible for driving strategy, growth, and operations for InPost’s parcel locker network and other network assets. Paul joined InPost UK in April 2024. Before this, he was Managing Partner at Catcom International Consulting, where he focused on growth strategy for multinational companies. He also brings deep experience in sales and channel development from leadership roles at Lindt & Sprüngli UK and United Biscuits.
Paul is focused on creating network density and leveraging InPost’s locker proposition to drive retail footfall and customer convenience.
