Refrigerated Lockers are one of the most significant innovations in the world of eCommerce logistics, particularly for food delivery, cold logistics and the distribution of perishable goods.
With the growth of food eCommerce and the increase in demand for flexible deliveries, refrigerated Lockers are becoming a strategic solution not only for retailers, supermarkets and logistics operators, but also for consumers, who can pick up their products or their groceries independently and with maximum flexibility.
The automatic refrigerated cabinets are equipped with temperature-controlled compartments that allow fresh food, frozen products, medicines and cosmetics to be stored until they are collected by the customer.
But how exactly do refrigerated Lockers work? What are the advantages of using them? How many are there in Italy and Europe? And what are the most innovative projects that have refrigerated Lockers as protagonists? In this article, we try to answer all these questions about refrigerated Lockers. Let’s start with a fundamental question.
What are refrigerated Lockers, what are they for and how do they work?
Refrigerated Lockers, as can be easily guessed from their name, are automated devices used as pick-up points for perishable goods.
Similar to traditional Lockers for parcel delivery and collection, refrigerated lockers, unlike the more ‘classic’ ones, offer compartments with adjustable temperature, depending on the needs and the products to be stored.
In particular, they can be divided into three categories, depending on the temperature they can maintain:
- Room temperature (18-22°C): for non-perishable products or products that do not require refrigeration.
- Cool (0-4°C): ideal for fresh foods such as dairy products, meat, fish and fruit and vegetables.
- Frozen (-18°C): for frozen products such as ice cream and frozen ready meals.
The refrigerated lockers are therefore specially designed to ensure food safety and optimal storage of products until they are collected by the customer.
Main uses of Refrigerated Lockers in different sectors
The growing popularity of food eCommerce – in 2024 eCommerce penetration in the Italian Food & Grocery market was 6%, equal to about EUR 6.4 billion according to Netcomm data – and of last-mile deliveries has in fact made it necessary to adopt more flexible and efficient logistics solutions than traditional home delivery. Refrigerated Lockers respond exactly to this need.
Supermarkets, large retail chains and e-Grocery platforms use refrigerated Lockers to allow customers to pick up their groceries online independently, ensuring that the cold chain is maintained until the moment of collection.
But refrigerated Lockers can also serve other sectors.
In the pharmaceutical sector, for example, refrigerated Lockers are used for the storage of temperature-sensitive drugs such as insulin, vaccines and other medicines that require controlled thermal conditions. This solution allows pharmacies and hospitals to more efficiently manage the distribution of urgent or prescribed drugs online.
The world of cosmetics and beauty products also benefits from the use of refrigerated lockers. Some cosmetics, such as natural creams without preservatives or products with active ingredients, need to be kept at low temperatures to maintain their effectiveness and stability over time.
Finally, the catering and food delivery sector is increasingly adopting refrigerated Lockers for the distribution of meal kits and ready meals. Companies specialising in home delivery of meals and subscription services for pre-dosed ingredient boxes can thus offer a safe and flexible pick-up option to their customers, avoiding home delivery problems and guaranteeing product freshness.
Diffusion of Refrigerated Lockers in Italy and Europe
The number of refrigerated lockers is growing steadily throughout Europe, with operators investing in these technologies to optimise city logistics.
For example, InPost – the European leader in Lockers – has already installed over 2,000 refrigerated Lockers in Europe; while the supermarket chain Carrefour has implemented refrigerated Lockers in France, Spain and Belgium.
In Italy, refrigerated lockers are mainly found in supermarkets and food distribution chains. For instance, Coop Italia has already installed refrigerated Lockers for online shopping in more than 100 shops. Esselunga, a pioneer in the online grocery sector since 2001, also started installing the first refrigerated Lockers in Lombardy in 2018, offering customers the possibility to pick up groceries ordered online in a convenient and flexible way. Esselunga’s Locker network is now continuously expanding, with the aim of improving the accessibility and convenience of the service for customers.
Benefits for merchants using refrigerated locks for deliveries
Behind the success of this innovative solution and the choice of more and more operators to implement their own refrigerated Locker network there are of course significant benefits for retailers and logistics operators.
In particular, the use of refrigerated Lockers makes it possible to:
- Optimise the cold chain, reducing the risk of product spoilage.
- Ensuring greater flexibility in delivery, since the customer can collect the goods at any time of his or her choice, according to his or her own time requirements.
- Reduce logistical costs, as grouping several deliveries at one point lowers last-mile delivery costs accordingly.
- Expand food eCommerce, which can thus reach customers in areas less served by home delivery.
Benefits for consumers using refrigerated Lockers for deliveries
Of course, there are also benefits for the consumers, i.e. the eShoppers, who by choosing a refrigerated Locker as the delivery and collection method for their order can:
- They collect their orders whenever they want, with maximum convenience and flexibility;
- Enjoy greater food safety, as refrigerated Lockers ensure optimal storage of products at the right temperature;
- Collect your orders earlier, as the refrigerated Lockers allow for fast and time-restricted collection, thus reducing waiting times.
GEL Proximity: the solution for implementing Lockers and Pick-up Points
GEL Proximity is the first technology platform dedicated to the management of Proximity Logistics, offering advanced solutions for the integration of Lockers and Pick-up Points for eCommerce, carriers and logistics operators.
Thanks to our extensive network and partnerships with leading logistics operators, GEL Proximity allows merchants to
- Implement refrigerated Lockers for the distribution of food and pharmaceutical products.
- Optimising urban logistics while reducing costs and environmental impact.
- Enhancing the customer experience with flexible and secure collection solutions.
In addition, GEL Proximity is actively engaged in some Italian cities in the experimentation of innovative city logistics solutions, including the construction of refrigerated micro-hubs in restricted traffic areas accessible to multiple operators thanks to the functionality of logistics orchestrator in the last mile, favouring a more efficient and sustainable distribution of fresh products, pharmaceuticals and other temperature-sensitive products.
If you want to innovate your logistics with refrigerated and non-refrigerated Lockers and advanced pick-up points, choose GEL Proximity and take your eCommerce strategy to a new level!
