Online grocery is now a core business channel, not a side service. But for many retailers, the pickup process behind the scenes hasn’t evolved at the same pace.
Staff juggle customer pickups, delivery drivers, and online orders — often in the same space. Queues form, mistakes happen, and store operations slow down.
The Evolution of Grocery Pickup Models
Walk into almost any supermarket today and you’ll see it: staff zigzagging through aisles with trolleys, shoppers waiting at collection counters, and delivery drivers hovering near the exit. It’s efficient in theory, but in practice, it’s a juggling act.
Traditional click and collect still follows the same pattern many retailers started with years ago: pick → pack → store → retrieve → handoff. It works, but it’s slow. Most retailers we speak to say the process can take anywhere from five to ten minutes after a customer reaches the front of the queue — not counting the time spent parking or waiting for a staff member to locate their order.
Some retailers have tried to ease that pressure with direct-to-boot collection, where staff deliver bags straight to the customer’s car. It’s a good step toward convenience, but it still relies on manual handoffs, unpredictable timing, and the constant pull on team resources.
Grocery lockers simplify the equation. It becomes pick → pack → load. Once the order’s packed, it’s placed in a secure, temperature-controlled compartment. The system takes care of the rest — notifying the customer automatically, managing timing windows, and keeping food safe until collection. Staff gain back valuable minutes; customers collect in seconds.
The result is smoother store operations, less congestion, and fewer errors. For retailers, it’s not just a workflow improvement — it’s a shift toward a fulfilment model that scales automatically.
Every grocer has passed through some version of this journey, but the next phase isn’t about adding space or labour. It’s about building the infrastructure that keeps up with demand, no matter how customers choose to shop.
Designed for Modern Operations
Modern refrigerated and freezer lockers are built for integration, not isolation. They connect directly with store and supply-chain systems to maintain control, quality, and visibility.
Retailers can:
- Monitor multiple temperature zones in real time through connected management systems, typically maintaining operating ranges from −18 °C (frozen) to +20 °C (ambient).
- Receive automated alerts for deviations that protect product quality.
- Add or reconfigure modules as order volumes shift.
- Install units indoors or outdoors with safe, illuminated, CCTV-monitored spaces for customers.
- Depend on local servicing, warranties, and clear SLAs for uptime.
Behind the scenes, energy-efficient refrigeration and connected sensors ensure stable temperatures with minimal power use. Combined with analytics dashboards, managers can track performance, capacity, and pickup activity across their network.
Placement That Fits Every Retail Format
Every grocery model has different needs — and locker placement should match.
- In-store vestibules suit compact or urban stores where customers collect during regular hours.
- Outside the store offers 24/7 access without extending staffing or opening hours.
- Fulfil-from-store models integrate lockers with backroom picking for faster loading.
- Warehouse or dark-store sites turn lockers into regional pickup hubs.
- Remote or satellite locations extend brand reach and service coverage without full store overheads.
This flexibility lets retailers experiment and expand at their own pace — testing new customer zones, new time windows, and new territories before committing to permanent infrastructure.
Integration That Simplifies Everything
Integration is what turns lockers from equipment into infrastructure. The best click and collect locker systems connect seamlessly with order management, inventory, and customer apps.
Retailers can:
- Sync order data in real time.
- Manage alerts and reporting from a single dashboard.
- Customise locker interfaces to match brand and tone.
- Extend pickup functionality across in-store, online, and third-party delivery channels.
Click n Collect offers an extensive suite of APIs with a 100% integration success rate, connecting to existing retail systems using open standards. We also provide custom software development for bespoke workflows and custom API builds for unique retail processes or partner networks.
When systems talk to each other, pickup becomes just another automated step in the customer journey — consistent, trackable, and scalable.
Profitability Meets Experience
Efficiency matters — but experience keeps people coming back. Today’s shoppers want control: they choose a pickup window, get real-time updates by text or app, and collect their groceries in seconds.
That kind of reliability builds trust — and trust builds loyalty.
As Grocery Dive (2025) notes, Ahold Delhaize reached e-commerce profitability by focusing on customer experience first. Their platforms make it easy to reorder, redeem digital coupons, and switch between delivery or pickup without friction.
Grocery lockers quietly make that possible — the bridge between digital promise and physical delivery.
Built for Human-Centred Retail
Technology adoption succeeds when it feels natural for customers and teams. Click n Collect lockers are built around human-centred design principles — intuitive interfaces, safe lighting, ergonomic heights, and accessible layouts for all users.
Features include:
- Easy returns and reverse logistics.
- Age-restricted verification where needed.
- Modular expansion for growth or seasonal peaks.
- Custom branding to make the locker an extension of your store experience.
By bringing pickup out front, lockers turn a back-room process into a visible brand asset that reinforces trust and convenience.
Looking Ahead
The next generation of grocery fulfilment will be defined by automation, accessibility, and analytics. Lockers support all three — offering flexible service points for customers, efficient workflows for staff, and reliable data for business decisions.
They also support broader retail challenges: managing space, improving energy efficiency, and balancing digital and physical growth. And for retailers managing crowd-sourced delivery drivers, lockers can run separate, secure pickup workflows — keeping handoffs fast and disruption-free.
A dedicated follow-up article, Solving the Pickup Puzzle: How Click and Collect Lockers Eliminate the Chaos of Crowd-Sourced Deliveries, will explore that model in detail.
Ready to reimagine grocery pickup? Partner with a smart locker supplier that understands how retailers work. Explore Click n Collect’s range of click and collect lockers — engineered for grocery efficiency, modular scalability, and seamless customer experience. Contact Click n Collect → 
