The longest Click & Collect Grocery Locker in the world is now located at ICA MAXI in Örebro. There are 120 compartments in the 20-meter-long solution, which are separated into three temperature zones.
As an attempt to future-proof the store’s operations, Ica Maxi in Örebro began its e-commerce in 2019. They saw high potential to draw in fresh customers and encourage current ones to shop online.
We believed that our e-commerce might be quite successful if we dared to put our all into it, and we had a high level of internal engagement!
Daniel Bernström, E-commerce Manager at ICA Maxi in Örebro
Daniel says that when they first started the e-commerce operations, all online orders were delivered via the store’s drive-thru or through home deliveries.
We fully focused on the customer experience. We offered customers coffee and topped up windshield washer fluid while they waited for their delivery outside the grocery store. Since we met customers in such a short time, we wanted to create a positive overall experience.
Daniel Bernström, ICA MAXI Örebro
They quickly discovered that this method consumed a significant amount of staff time. Employees occasionally had to wait for customers. At times, all of the customers showed up at once to pick up their orders, which resulted in queues and unsatisfying customer experience.
“Time was the primary reason we decided to purchase StrongPoint’s Click & Collect Grocery Lockers,” Daniel says. We were unable to arrange as many orders as we would have liked because the bag distribution took too long. Online shoppers also requested the option to pick up their items in a locker rather having them delivered to their houses or picked up in the parking lot.
Daniel claims that some consumers even chose to shop with competitors rather than us simply because they could pick up via lockers. This was unexpected. Daniel goes on to say that at first, they believed that the primary factor influencing customers decision to shop elsewhere was their personal service. Instead, it turned out to be a misconception that they had created themselves.
After a thorough analysis, the decision was made to invest in StrongPoint’s Click & Collect Grocery Lockers. The first were installed in November 2022.
Almost immediately, we felt that the grocery lockers made a big difference. Without having to look at the statistics, we felt that we were saving a lot of time! We also received very positive feedback from our customers, who found this a much smoother way to pick up their online orders.
Daniel Bernström, ICA MAXI Örebro
The epidemic caused ICA MAXI in Örebro, like many other stores, to see a sharp rise in e-commerce. According to Daniel, the primary distinction in the general shopping habits of consumers prior to and following the Corona pandemic is that they now make sure to purchase both in-person and online. For simply social reasons, some consumers have gone back to only shopping at the business.
Online shopping is viewed by the store as an extension of its physical location. The business strives to offer the same level of experience, service, and pricing to consumers who choose to buy for groceries online as well as in-store.
Today, we have many customers who do one big grocery shopping trip a month, but also come in to supplement with items from the deli and fruit counters.
Daniel Bernström, ICA MAXI Örebro
Workflows and processes were modified in accordance with StrongPoint’s recommendations in relation to the Click & Collect Grocery Lockers installation.
According to Daniel, the way our online orders are distributed differs greatly from our early assumptions. Currently, 60% of all order delivery come from the lockers. Twenty percent go through the drive-thru, and twenty percent go through the home delivery option.
We have received incredibly positive feedback from our customers about the lockers. They are very satisfied with the service we offer, which includes never charging a picking fee for online orders and also introducing free shipping on online orders over 1000 SEK.
Daniel Bernström, ICA maxi Örebro
The internet company saw such a huge surge because of the store’s effort and readiness to adapt that they soon realised they needed more locker units to match it. This effectively meant that they decided to purchase twice as many lockers within a year after the initial locker installation!
After installing the lockers from StrongPoint along with a more efficient workflow, we immediately saw a 20% increase in online orders.
Daniel Bernström, ICA Maxi Örebro
There are currently 16 members of the ICA store’s e-commerce crew, some of whom begin work at five in the morning. The store provides customers with liberal pick-up times, allowing them to pick up their items seven days a week from 7:00 to 22:00!
The big benefit for our store is that we save about 8 hours a day by offering lockers as a pickup option. The more orders we receive, the more time we save by having our Click & Collect lockers!
Daniel Bernström, E-commerce Manager at ICA MAXI Örebro
Daniel goes on to say that they can now prepare all online orders ahead of time because of the lockers, which eliminates the requirement for an online team member to work night shifts. All evening orders are packed and sent to the lockers by 5:00 PM, so the customer can pick them up whenever they’d like.
Now we can prepare all orders in advance, setting out all orders to be picked up in the evening by 5:00 PM. So if a customer comes at 6:00 PM or 10:00 PM, which is the last pick-up time, the bag is already there waiting.
Daneil Bernström, ICA Maxi Örebro
Because they can be positioned right next to your store and require no further work hours once the order has been loaded into the locker, grocery lockers are the most efficient click and collect alternative. It is an extremely practical last-mile delivery solution for both you and your customers. By default, our grocery lockers are of the best quality, having been designed in Scandinavia and built to endure even the most extreme weather conditions.
Learn more