Lowe’s Inc., the home improvement retailer, announced plans to put contactless pickup lockers in stores nationwide as demand for contactless service has skyrocketed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the company’s press release on Tuesday, the self-service lockers will be installed in most metro area stores by Thanksgiving and all of its more than 1,700 U.S. stores by March 2021. The lockers are currently available for use in stores in Charlotte, Philadelphia, and the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Parcel Pending by Quadient, the nation’s leading provider of package management solutions, is the locker provider. The rollout will continue in Texas, Florida and Washington in the coming weeks.
The coronavirus pandemic accelerated Lowe’s focus on improving omnichannel capabilities and its e-commerce platform. The new pickup lockers allow customers to order online and collect same-day order items with a single-use barcode on their phone, providing a touches experience that also allows them to skip the checkout lines.
“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,” Joe McFarland, Lowe’s executive vice president of stores, said in a statement.
McFarland noted that the new locker installment “is a significant step in our relentless efforts to create a fast and frictionless shopping experience for today’s time-pressed customers.”
Lowe’s has been a beneficiary of the abrupt changes forced upon the retail industry by the pandemic. Lowe’s, which saw a 135 percent increase in online sales during the second quarter, has seen a rapid rise in demand for do-it-yourself (DIY) projects for people stuck at home and spending their stimulus checks.
Customers are still seeking contactless services. Lowe’s cited a recent study by McKinsey & Co. that found 60 percent of U.S. consumers who said they are shopping online and picking up in-store expect to continue to utilize the service after the pandemic.
Lowe’s (LOW) shares were last trading down 52 cents near $161.03.
