Europe’s parcel locker market has moved decisively into its next phase of maturity. What began as a set of experimental technologies has evolved into critical national logistics infrastructure.
However, with out-of-home (OOH) use accelerating across both consumers and the rapidly expanding base of large and small online sellers, the competitive battleground has shifted. It is no longer just a case of getting the hardware right. The decisive edge now lies in interoperability, operational reliability and the ability to run locker networks efficiently at scale.
Smart carriers now recognize that an OOH strategy will be fundamental to their survival. Without it, they risk meeting the same fate as Kodak or Polaroid when the photo world digitalized, with legacy brands left behind by structural change they underestimated.
These findings, and those in the rest of this article, are based on a detailed questionnaire conducted by Last Mile Experts among participating European locker manufacturers and operators. The survey provides an evidence-driven view of how competitors see the future of the market.
The rise of open networks
One of the clearest shifts in sentiment comes from the way industry players now describe the market.
Previously, the discussion was largely centered on the on-grid versus off-grid model debate. However, now the focus has moved on to closed versus open networks, and the network architecture required for the latter.
Open networks demand far deeper integration, richer APIs and much more robust orchestration than first-generation systems were ever designed for. This is so important because the industry still lacks a widespread understanding of the need for an end-to-end model where a single carrier controls the middle mile.
Without the end-to-end approach, networks suffer from unnecessary complexity in cell management, as well as inefficiencies caused by several carriers visiting the same machine. This is why highly optimized (albeit closed) networks such as InPost’s in Poland are able to achieve industry leading EBITDA margins above 45%, while many open networks, including the world’s largest, Hive Box, continue to struggle to make their financial model work.
The strategic shift toward open ecosystems is noted by Mirko Woetzel, chief growth officer at kernTerminal, who captures Europe’s trajectory succinctly: “Europe is emerging as a leader, with open locker networks serving as the foundation of an increasingly fast and efficient e-commerce ecosystem.”
Why off-grid lockers now need a rich feature set
Participating companies also emphasized that the most meaningful competitive shift now lies in energy independence combined with full operational functionality. As one respondent put it, off-grid solutions are attractive only when they retain essential features such as screens, scanners and security systems, avoiding the limitations that minimalist designs can introduce.
This argument reinforces a growing industry consensus: the next generation of winners will not be those with the smartest cabinet or the most elegant battery module, but those who can unify hardware, software and field service into a single, coherent, always-on operational model.
Engineering-focused manufacturers still hold a powerful position. Keba is often cited by competitors as the most dependable hardware in field uptime, durability and operational longevity. Indeed, historically, it was the benchmark against which others measured hardware stability. Even with the rise of off-grid systems, solid engineering remains the baseline requirement for anyone attempting national-level deployment.
Alongside these engineering-led players, Arka is frequently cited for its strong position in fully solar powered systems. At the same time, the conversation is being reshaped by a new generation of innovators. Bloq.it is frequently referenced for integrating hardware, software and operational logic into a unified product environment that enables dense, flexible deployment.
Francesco Tribuni, sales manager at Bloq.it, notes a behavioral appetite that is driving the shift: “Consumers will continue to shift their delivery preferences from home to out-of-home. This will increase the demand for smart lockers ready to interact with consumers who are now both sellers and buyers.”
The role of software cannot be understated
Tribuni’s point signals an increasingly important fact: lockers now sit at the intersection of delivery, returns, micro-fulfilment and increasingly peer-to-peer logistics. This requires a level of software sophistication well beyond what early locker systems were designed to handle.
Experts caution that claims around autonomy, maintenance-free operation or effortless integration often diverge from field experience. Cold weather, sustained cloud cover, peak season volumes and API maturity remain persistent weak points across several manufacturers, particularly among lower cost non-EU imported machines.
However, competitors warn that innovation still needs grounding in operational reality. Battery performance, solar resilience and ‘plug-and-play’ deployment claims often look better in presentations than in the field. True off-grid deployments demand careful site selection, continuous monitoring and integration work that is often underestimated.
Minimalist systems such as SwipBox Infinity remain valuable for ultra-rapid deployment, but respondents highlight challenges with screen-free interfaces. This is particularly true in those markets heavily reliant on flexible labor or third-party drivers. Training, scanning and identification workflows can become friction points when the terminal cannot guide users directly.
Expect consolidation
Looking ahead, consolidation is widely expected, though not necessarily among manufacturers to begin with. Respondents generally believe consolidation will start within the field-service ecosystem, where maintenance, cleaning and spares operations remain fragmented and inefficient.
Municipal authorities, too, are beginning to influence market structure. Cities, including Bergamo in Italy, are signaling resistance to uncontrolled locker proliferation, pressuring networks toward more coordinated planning.
Software consolidation, however, is all but inevitable. As mixed-vendor fleets become the norm, hardware-agnostic software platforms with remote diagnostics, route optimization and strong analytics will command strategic value.
This shift in the center of gravity is captured by Franck Sillard, European open network director at Quadient: “Out-of-home delivery is moving from being a niche interest into the mainstream. Every major carrier is embracing it, and we intend to continue to pioneer it.”
His comment is reflective of an industry now managing high-volume multi-carrier traffic, increasingly complex returns and substantial peaks, all requiring software capabilities far more advanced than earlier generations.
Procurement priorities
Procurement behavior remains a critical variable. While carriers consistently prioritize uptime, service depth and long-term cost, tenders still too often reward low acquisition costs over operational stability. This misalignment introduces significant risk: poor supplier selection can result in deployment delays, performance issues and, in some cases, the need to restart procurement altogether.
Several respondents judged Asian OEMs to be significantly behind European suppliers in software depth, localization and compliance. Limited API documentation, slower integration cycle and weaker support for multi-carrier networks were the most widely mentioned challenges.
Carriers continue to value build quality, integration readiness, predictable costs and strong local service above all else. Fast rollout, reliable uptime and responsive support during peak season were described as the essential criteria that shape procurement decisions.
Across all contributions, a clear theme emerges: the gap between industry hype and operational reality must narrow. Claims of effortless scalability or maintenance-free operation continue to surface in marketing materials. Yet the industry is increasingly demanding transparency, realistic timelines and measurable KPIs, all factors that will separate sustainable networks from those built on optimistic assumptions.
The era of siloed development is drawing to a close
As we look toward 2026, a clear trajectory is taking shape. Europe is on track to solidify its position as the global leader in parcel locker adoption. Open, shared networks will expand as carriers seek efficiency and standardized consumer experience. Leadership will fall to those who can integrate hardware, software and operations into a resilient whole.
Out-of-home will no longer be an alternative; it will be the default. A common view is that companies able to scale energy-independent, autonomous lockers, backed by strong integration capability and demonstrably stable field performance, are best placed to lead the market, and that cost of ownership and deployment speed will outweigh almost every other competitive factor.
Lucian Ulmanu, chief executive and founder of Arka Smart Parcel Lockers, summarizes the direction succinctly: “Energy independent, multi carrier locker networks are becoming the new standard for last-mile delivery in Europe.”
And the future? The next decisive chapter in Europe’s locker evolution will be won by those able to deliver turnkey solutions that genuinely work in the demanding, high-volume world of parcel logistics, rather than simply in theory.
Achieving this will call for far closer cooperation between consultancies, manufacturers, software houses and placement or maintenance operators, because the era of siloed development is ending.
As networks grow, specialized consultancies will take on an increasingly central role in shaping, validating and implementing models that are both strategically sound and operationally executable. Those who succeed in mastering this integrated approach will set the direction for the next generation of Europe’s parcel locker landscape.
Read more about how retailers and logistics operators are improving last-mile delivery with a well-designed out-of-home strategy in the December 2025 issue of Parcel and Postal Technology International – coming soon!
EXPLORE: Opinion – How unified data will define last-mile excellence in 2026