Out-of-home delivery is becoming a strategic question

Out-of-home delivery is no longer a niche part of last mile logistics. In many markets, lockers and PUDO points are becoming central to how customers receive, return and control parcels.

Andre V. Veskimeister’s session at DELIVER Europe 2026 focused on why retailers need to think more carefully about their role in this shift. The rise of ecommerce, labour constraints and more flexible customer routines are all putting pressure on traditional home delivery models.

For retailers, the question is not only whether lockers are growing. It is what role the retailer wants to play in a market where delivery choice increasingly shapes customer behaviour.

Customer routines have changed

The session highlighted how customer behaviour has shifted since the pandemic.

Hybrid working, changing mobility patterns and less predictable daily routines all make home delivery harder to coordinate. Customers may not always know where they will be when a parcel arrives, which increases the value of flexible delivery options.

Out-of-home delivery gives customers more control. Instead of relying on being at home at the right time, they can choose collection points or lockers that fit their routines.

Retailers have different strategic options

The session outlined three broad routes for retailers.

First, retailers can improve checkout by giving customers clearer delivery choices and allowing them to select the option that best fits their needs. Second, they can use click-and-collect lockers to automate handover in stores and improve convenience. Third, some retailers or marketplaces may choose to build their own out-of-home networks.

Each route carries different levels of investment, risk and control. The right decision depends on market maturity, customer adoption and the retailer’s broader logistics strategy.

Market maturity matters

One of the key messages was that out-of-home markets are not the same everywhere.

Some markets are in a rapid growth phase, where retailers and carriers need to move quickly because network locations are still being established. Other markets are less mature, where waiting may be more sensible until customer adoption and infrastructure develop further. In mature markets, the competitive focus may shift towards brand, network quality and customer preference.

This means there is no universal locker strategy. Retailers need to understand the specific structure of each market before deciding whether to partner, build or wait.

What this means for the DELIVER community

Out-of-home delivery is becoming part of the wider retail and logistics strategy conversation.

For retailers, the opportunity is to use delivery choice, click and collect and locker access to improve convenience and customer control. For carriers and locker providers, the challenge is to build networks that customers actively choose, not simply infrastructure that processes parcels. For marketplaces, mature out-of-home networks can become a competitive asset.

As adoption grows, the strongest strategies will be those that recognise out-of-home delivery as both a logistics model and a customer behaviour shift.