In a move to increase operational efficiency and boost the profile of its buy-online-pickup-in-store program, Home Depot will begin a national rollout of automated pickup lockers that enable online shoppers to pick up orders without assistance. Customers simply access their details and pay for their order via a touchscreen before they’re directed to one of the lockers to retrieve their order.
The company has quietly tested the system in select stores since 2016 and plans to install lockers in all of its stores by 2021. Already, Home Depot estimates that 45% of all online orders are picked up instore. The locker program is part of the $11 billion investment in its stores, supply chain and digital efforts over the next three years, as announced in a letter to its shareholders in May.
Home Depot joins a growing list of some of the largest retailers in the nation, like Amazon and Walmart, that have turned to automated pickup lockers to expand shopping options for consumers.