01
Queues at the Counter
Collection and returns competing for one desk at the busiest hours.
Lockera Industries · Retail
Click-and-Collect Without the Collect Counter.
Every online order picked up in store ends at a counter — and that counter takes an associate off the floor, forms a queue at peak, and stops working the moment the shutters come down. Lockera turns collection and returns into self-service, available whenever the customer actually turns up.
One system for click-and-collect, returns drop-off, kerbside pickup and rider handoff.
Built for
- Retail Chains
- Grocery & Convenience
- Malls & High Street
- Quick Commerce
The Order Is Ready. The Counter Isn’t.
Click-and-collect wins on a promise of convenience and then delivers it through a service desk that queues at peak, pulls staff off the selling floor, and stops working the moment the store closes.
02
Associates Off the Floor
Selling time spent retrieving orders from the backroom.
03
Store Hours Only
A collection promise that expires when the shutters come down.
04
Backroom Congestion
Picked orders stacked on shelves with no reliable location.
05
Slow Returns
Refunds waiting on somebody to inspect and scan at a counter.
06
Curbside Runs
Staff carrying orders out to cars, one at a time.
The knock-on effect
How one collection counter turns into a cost across the whole store.
- 01Collection needs an associate
- Selling time spent at a counter
- 02One desk, pickup and returns
- Queues at exactly the busiest hours
- 03Store hours only
- Collection windows missed entirely
- 04Orders staged on open shelves
- Misplaced and mis-issued orders
- 05Manual returns intake
- Refunds that take days, not minutes
5 challenges · 5 operational costs · 1 counter behind all of them
One System. Every Way an Order Changes Hands.
Lockera is more than a pickup locker. It is the handover layer for everything a store gives out and takes back — without an associate standing at a desk.
Use case 01
Click-and-Collect
Customers collect online orders with a one-time code, on their own schedule.
Use case 02
Returns Drop-Off
Returns deposited and confirmed instantly, with no counter involved.
Use case 03
Curbside & Kerbside
Exterior banks so collection happens without entering the store.
Use case 04
After-Hours Collection
Orders reachable before opening and after closing.
Use case 05
Rider & Courier Handoff
Quick-commerce and courier pickups from the same bank.
Use case 06
Order Staging
A tracked compartment per order instead of a shelf in the backroom.
A Collection Counter vs. Lockera Self-Service
| Measure | Collection counter | Lockera self-service |
|---|---|---|
| Collection hours | Store hours only | Available around the clock |
| Staffing | An associate at a desk | Self-service |
| Queue at peak | Pickup and returns compete | Parallel access, no queue |
| Order location | A shelf in the backroom | A tracked compartment |
| Returns confirmation | Inspected at the counter | Confirmed at the drop |
| Selling floor | Staff pulled off the floor | Staff stay on the floor |
| Curbside | Carried out one at a time | Collected from an exterior bank |
| Peak capacity | More staff on shift | More compartments |
Hardware, Cloud Software and Commerce APIs.
Lockera is a complete hardware, cloud software and integration stack, engineered for retailers moving orders through stores at volume.
Layer 01
Store-Ready Hardware
Modular steel lockbanks with electronic solenoids, HD touchscreens, optical drop sensors, cameras and battery backup, configured for in-store, storefront and kerbside placement, including temperature-controlled compartments for grocery.
Layer 02
Cloud Retail Dashboard
Compartment occupancy per store, order-to-compartment mapping, dwell and expiry alerts, returns logs, per-store and chain-wide reporting and a complete audit trail.
Layer 03
Shopper Apps & Commerce APIs
Customer notifications and single-use codes, plus APIs into your OMS, POS and e-commerce platform so orders, collections and returns post against the same order record.
What the store gains
- Collection outside trading hours — the promise no longer ends at closing time.
- Associates back on the floor — selling time stops going to a service desk.
- No queue at peak — collections and returns happen in parallel, not in line.
- Orders with a known location — a compartment per order instead of a shelf.
- Returns confirmed at the drop — refunds start moving immediately.
- Uninterrupted operation — battery backup and offline pin codes work through outages.
Better CX and Lower Cost, From the Same Change.
Collection speed, refund speed, labour cost and peak resilience all trace back to one decision: whether a handover needs a member of staff standing at a counter.
01
Protect Selling Time
Take collection and returns off the associate’s job entirely.
02
Extend the Collection Window
Offer pickup before opening and after closing.
03
Cut Queue Abandonment
Remove the line that turns a convenience promise into a wait.
04
Speed Up Refunds
Start the return the moment the item is deposited.
05
Free the Backroom
Replace staging shelves with tracked compartments.
06
Scale Through Peak
Add compartments for festive volume instead of temporary staff.
From a Single Storefront to a National Estate.
01
Retail Chains
Multi-store estates running a single omni-channel promise.
02
Grocery & Convenience
Chilled and ambient orders collected on the customer’s schedule.
03
Malls & Shopping Centres
Shared banks serving several retailers from one location.
04
High Street & Standalone
Storefront and kerbside collection on constrained footprints.
05
Dark Stores & Quick Commerce
Rider handoff points sized for rapid turnover.
06
Fashion & Electronics
High-value items needing secure, tracked handover.
Assess. Design. Install. Go Live.
Store & Order Assessment
We map order volumes, collection patterns, peak hours and candidate placements.
Format & Hardware Design
Compartment mix, indoor or kerbside placement and access model per store format.
Installation & Integration
Installation plus integration with your OMS, POS and e-commerce platform.
Go Live
Customers, riders and store teams start collecting and returning immediately.
Why Retailers Are Taking Collection Off the Counter.
- Keep associates on the selling floor — collection stops consuming staff time.
- Extend collection beyond trading hours — capture the pickups a closed store loses.
- Remove the peak queue — parallel self-service instead of a single desk.
- Turn returns around faster — confirmation at the drop rather than at a counter.
- Give every order a known location — staged in a compartment, not on a shelf.
- Run the whole estate from one place — occupancy, dwell and returns across every store.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a customer collect a click-and-collect order?
When the order is placed into a compartment, the customer receives an SMS, email or app notification with a single-use PIN and QR code. They enter it at the unit and the correct compartment opens. No associate is involved and there is nothing to queue for.
Can customers collect outside store opening hours?
Yes, where the bank is sited for it. A storefront or kerbside unit is reachable when the shutters are down, which recovers the collections a closed store would otherwise lose to a return-to-warehouse or a second trip.
How are returns handled?
The customer deposits the item into a compartment using a code issued against the return authorisation, and the return is confirmed at the moment of drop rather than waiting for a counter inspection. Store or warehouse teams collect in bulk on their own schedule, and the refund process starts immediately.
Does Lockera work for chilled or frozen grocery orders?
Yes. Temperature-controlled and climate-ready compartments hold chilled and frozen items at the correct temperature until collection, with dwell alerts so a perishable order is never left beyond its safe window.
What happens if an order is not collected?
You set a collection window per order type. Lockera sends reminders as it closes, flags the order on the dashboard once it passes, and holds it for staff retrieval so the compartment is freed rather than silently occupied through a peak trading day.
Does Lockera integrate with our OMS, POS or e-commerce platform?
Lockera exposes APIs for compartment allocation, collection and return events and status callbacks, so an order moves through placed, ready, collected and returned inside your existing systems. Customers are notified by your own messaging if you prefer.
Can a single bank serve more than one retailer?
Yes. Banks run multi-tenant with per-retailer accounts, permissions and reporting, which is what makes a shared bank viable in a mall or high-street location where no single retailer could justify one alone.
Can it be installed outside the store for kerbside collection?
Yes. Weather-proof configurations are specified for storefront, kerbside and car-park placement, so collection happens without the customer entering the store and without staff carrying orders out one at a time.
What happens during a power cut or network outage?
Each unit carries battery backup and an offline cache. Customers and staff continue opening compartments with offline PIN codes through a full grid or connectivity failure, and the order log reconciles once the unit is back online.