More than 115 million parcels were delivered or returned via parcel lockers in the UK over the past year, according to new research from InPost and Retail Economics.
This includes 87 million outbound deliveries (7% of all online orders) and 28 million returns (12% of all online returns).
The findings, based on a nationally representative survey of 2,000 households and parcel volume data, point to a clear shift in consumer delivery preferences.
Two in five UK adults (equating to 21m UK adults) used a parcel locker in the past year – whether to collect, return or send a parcel. A further 20% say they haven’t yet used lockers but would be open to doing so, revealing the huge potential for further uptake.
Locker usage is expected to rise across every age group in the year ahead, with adoption particularly strong among younger and middle-income consumers:
• 66% of Gen Z and 54% of Millennials used a locker in the past year
• Over half of under-45s now use them at least monthly
• One in three middle-income shoppers plan to use lockers more often this year – the
highest of any income group
Among those who’ve tried lockers, usage quickly accelerates. The share of their online orders collected this way is more than double the average across all UK consumers. Within this group, lockers have overtaken click-and-collect from store and other out-of-home options as the most popular alternative to home delivery.
InPost is helping to drive this shift. In Q1 2025, it processed 24 million parcels in the UK – a 39% increase year-on-year – reflecting rapid growth driven by continued investment and integration with partners like Menzies and Yodel. Its national network now spans over 10,000 lockers and around 16,000 total out-of-home (OOH) locations.
Neil Kuschel, CEO at InPost UK said: “The locker market has experienced immense growth over the last year, thanks to the unsatiable
appetite of consumers for convenient delivery solutions that fit in seamlessly with their busy lives. Once considered a niche segment of the OOH delivery market that was mainly used by younger, digital savvy shoppers, lockers have gone fully mainstream. And as our research
shows, this staggering demand shows no signs of slowing down with every age group planning to use lockers more in the next year.”
