Click and Collect Lockers for Retailers: How They Work

A click and collect locker lets a customer collect an order they have already paid for, whenever suits them, without a counter, a queue or a member of staff. The customer buys online. Staff load the order into a cell. A code sent to the customer opens that one door. This page is for retailers planning one. It covers the order-to-locker flow, how the locker connects to your e-commerce or POS system, how to size the cells, when grocery needs chilled cells, and how staff loading works. For lockers that riders load in apartment and office lobbies, see delivery lockers instead.

Quick answer

• Flow: order online, staff pick and load a cell, the customer gets a code or QR, one door opens, and the collection is logged.
• Integration: usually your store platform sends a “ready for pickup” event to the locker over an API or webhook, and the locker returns a pickup code for your platform to send to the customer.
• Sizing: cells needed ≈ daily locker orders × average days before collection, plus multi-cell orders and peak headroom, split by order size.
• Grocery: chilled food is held at 5 °C (41 °F) or below under the FDA Food Code. England’s legal maximum is 8 °C. Chilled cells are a build-time decision.
• Staff loading: rear loading keeps staff and customers apart. Scan-to-load ties each order to a cell.
• Supply: KioskForce builds click and collect cabinets to specification, indoor or outdoor-rated, with chilled cells supplied to order.

What a click and collect locker is, and what it is not

Three products look alike in a photograph and work very differently. The difference is who loads the cell and who knows the order.

	Click and collect locker	Delivery locker	Apartment parcel locker
Who loads it	Retailer’s own staff	A rider from a delivery platform	Carriers and couriers
Where it stands	At or near the retailer’s store	Office or apartment lobby	Residential building
Who knows the order	The retailer’s e-commerce or POS system	The delivery platform, which reserves a cell in advance	Several carriers, none of whom own the locker
Typical contents	Online orders: general merchandise, trade materials, groceries	Meals and small parcels	Parcels of all sizes
Read more	This page	Delivery lockers	Parcel lockers for apartments

Our delivery locker platform is built for the second column: a stranger arriving with an order. Click and collect is simpler in one way, because the loader is your own trained staff, and harder in another, because the locker has to fit into an order system you already run.

The order-to-locker flow

Step	Who acts	What happens	What the locker records
1. Order	Customer	Buys online and chooses locker pickup at a store	Nothing yet, or a cell is provisionally held
2. Pick	Staff	Pick and pack the order as for counter pickup	—
3. Load	Staff	Scan the order, the locker opens a free cell of the right size, the order goes in, the door is closed	Order ID, cell, time, staff member. The door sensor confirms the door actually opened and closed
4. Notify	Store system	Sends the customer a one-time code or QR by email, SMS or app	Code issued against that cell
5. Collect	Customer	Scans the QR or types the code. One door opens	Collection time. The order is closed
6. Exceptions	Staff	Uncollected orders are retrieved after the pickup window. Lost codes are reissued. Doors can be opened remotely	Every access, including remote opens

Two details separate a good installation from a frustrating one:

• Load-time cell choice. If the locker chooses the cell when the order is scanned at load, rather than at the moment of purchase, the cell matches the packed size of the real order, and the code goes out only once the goods are actually in the cell.
• The door sensor. The system should know the difference between “we released the lock” and “the door actually opened”. That is what makes a collection record trustworthy, and it is standard on KioskForce lockers.

Integration: how the locker talks to your store system

Most retailers already send “your order is ready” messages from Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, a custom platform or an order-management system. The locker should sit inside that flow, not beside it.

Pattern	How it works	Suits
Event-driven (webhook)	The store platform fires an event when an order is ready for pickup. The locker software assigns or confirms a cell and returns a code. The store sends the customer its own branded message. A collection event comes back and closes the order	Retailers with an e-commerce team
Scan-to-load	Staff scan the order barcode at the locker. The locker reads the order number and calls the store system to confirm the order and the customer contact	Stores where loading happens at the locker
Locker-issued code	The locker’s own software holds the order record and sends the code. The store system is updated afterwards or not at all	A pilot store, before integration is funded

Whichever pattern you choose, ask any supplier, including us, for four things:

1. A documented API with authentication per client and an event (webhook) for every state change: loaded, collected, collection failed, door opened by support.
2. Idempotency. Webhooks should carry an event ID so a retried message is not processed twice.
3. Behaviour on a network drop. Are instructions acknowledged, cached and replayed, or lost?
4. An audit export of every open: user or code, cell, time.

For reference, our delivery-locker platform publishes its REST and gRPC API, with webhooks carrying an event ID and an idempotency key. Instructions to the machine are cached for 30 seconds and replayed in order after a reconnect. Click and collect integration with your own order system is scoped and quoted per project. See smart locker software for what the cloud side should do.

How to size the cells

Size the locker from your order data, not from the wall you have spare. The arithmetic:

Occupied cells on an average day ≈ locker orders per day × average days before collection × average cells per order

Then add headroom for the busiest day of the week and the busiest weeks of the year. An illustrative example (all inputs are assumptions, not KioskForce data):

Input	Small store	Busy store	Grocery store (chilled)
Locker orders per day	15	60	40
Average days before collection	1.0	0.5	0.25
Average cells per order	1.0	1.2	2.0 (chilled + ambient)
Occupied cells, average day	15	36	20
Peak headroom (assumed +50%)	23	54	30

Then split that total by size. Pull a month of orders, measure the packed sizes, and set the cell mix to match. In most retail, small parcels dominate and a few bulky orders set the number of large cells. Large cells are the expensive part of the cabinet, so measure before you specify them.

Three levers reduce the cell count without new hardware:

• A shorter pickup window. A 2-day window needs fewer cells than a 7-day window.
• Reminder messages that bring customers in sooner.
• Fast retrieval of expired orders, so the cells come back into service.

KioskForce custom cabinets range from 100 to 2,000 mm wide, 100 to 2,000 mm high and 100 to 1,000 mm deep, with 1–10 rows of 1–10 cells per cabinet, and cabinets can be ganged together. For trade retail, oversize cells take items such as ladders, boards and building materials. The configurator gives an instant estimate as you change the grid.

Chilled cells for grocery

Grocery click and collect is where lockers need refrigeration. Customers will not collect from a warm cell, and the law sets limits.

This is a summary for planning, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the regulator where the machine will stand. Facts are as of October 2026.

Jurisdiction	Chilled holding rule	Source
United States	Time/temperature control for safety (TCS) food held at 5 °C (41 °F) or less, as adopted in state and local codes	FDA Food Code 2026, 3-501.16
US, vending of TCS food	Automatic control must stop vending if the machine cannot hold temperature. A refrigerated machine may not exceed 5 °C (41 °F) for more than 30 minutes after restocking	FDA Food Code 2026, 4-204.111
England	Food that supports pathogen growth may not be kept above 8 °C, with limited tolerances such as display for less than four hours	Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013, Schedule 4

Whether a pickup locker counts as a “vending machine” in your local code is a question for your regulator. The safe design is the same either way:

• Separate cells by temperature. A mixed basket uses an ambient cell and a chilled cell, with one code that opens both. Plan for frozen separately, because it is a different refrigeration specification.
• Monitor and log each chilled zone, alert staff when it runs warm, and stop issuing codes for a zone that cannot hold temperature.
• Keep the pickup window short for chilled orders. Collection within hours is safer than a 3-day window.
• Load chilled orders last. Pick ambient first, then chilled, and load straight into the cold cells.

KioskForce supplies chilled locker cells to order as a custom build, quoted per project. Our delivery lockers are a different product: they have no refrigeration, and they offer an optional per-cell heating pad for hot food. See refrigerated lockers for how chilled cells cope with door-open losses, and food pickup lockers for hot-food handover.

Staff loading: the part customers never see

The loading workflow decides whether staff love or hate the locker.

• Rear loading. Staff fill the cells from a stockroom behind the wall, and customers collect from the shop side or the street. A Sydney bakery runs a variant of this: staff refill 26 illuminated compartments from the back, and customers buy and collect from the front. See the bakery bread wall.
• Front loading. Simpler and cheaper, but staff and customers use the same face. Load in quiet periods.
• Scan-to-load. The order barcode chooses the cell, so nobody has to remember which door an order went into.
• Staff credentials. Staff open cells with their badge or a PIN, so every load is logged against a person. KioskForce lockers read MIFARE, HID and EM cards.
• Peak loading. If the lunchtime or after-work rush empties the locker, loading has to keep up. Schedule loading against your collection peak, not after it.

Accessibility

Put the cells most customers use within reach. Under the US 2010 ADA Standards, the unobstructed forward and side reach range is 15 to 48 inches (380 to 1,220 mm) above the floor, and the operable parts of the screen and scanner should sit inside it. Where lockers are provided, at least 5 percent, but no fewer than one of each type, must comply with the accessible-locker requirements. Your access consultant decides how these apply to a pickup locker at your site. We build to the requirement you state. We do not certify compliance with any accessibility law.

Where click and collect lockers fit

Retail sector	Why a locker helps	What to specify
Trade and builders’ merchants	Early and late pickup for tradespeople	Oversize cells, outdoor rating. See UK trade merchants’ 24/7 lockers
Grocery	Pickup after work without waiting at a desk	Chilled cells, short pickup window
Electronics and phone retail	High-value orders handed over without staff	Smaller cells, optional per-cell charging, audit trail
Pharmacy	After-hours collection of prepared orders	Dual authentication (PIN and card). See medicine vending machines
Bakery and food retail	Pre-ordered goods at peak hour	Illuminated cells, rear loading

US retail e-commerce reached an estimated $340.2 billion in the second quarter of 2026, seasonally adjusted, or 17.1% of total retail sales, according to the US Census Bureau. Not all of that is click and collect, but it is the order volume the pickup channel competes for.

What to specify if you are buying one

1. A month of order data: pickups per day, peak day, packed sizes, and how long orders wait.
2. The cell mix, including oversize and chilled cells, and frozen if you need it.
3. Site: indoor or outdoor, front or rear loading, power, network, shelter and lighting.
4. Integration pattern: webhook, scan-to-load, or locker-issued codes for a pilot.
5. Customer access: QR, numeric code, app, or all of them.
6. Staff access: badge or PIN, and who can open a cell remotely.
7. Pickup window and expiry process.

KioskForce designs the locker hardware and software in-house and builds in partner factories in China. Custom builds typically take 8–12 weeks, and orders start from a single unit for a pilot store. Volume discounts apply at 20, 50 and 100 or more units. On-site installation is optional and, in some regions, provided through a local distributor. Support is by email, and where a local distributor supplied the locker, it handles warranty and service. Start with the smart locker guide, price a cabinet in the configurator, read what drives cost, or send us your order profile.

Where this is the wrong answer

• You handle a handful of pickups a day. A shelf behind the counter costs nothing.
• Your orders are mostly bulky and irregular, such as furniture or timber lengths beyond any cell. A staffed yard or a dedicated collection bay works better.
• Your customers collect within minutes of ordering, as at a coffee counter. A pickup shelf is faster than a code.
• You cannot integrate yet. Start with locker-issued codes at one pilot store, measure the numbers, and fund integration when they justify it.
• You need inbound delivery by third-party riders. That is a delivery locker, not click and collect.

Frequently asked questions

How do click and collect lockers work?

The customer orders and pays online and chooses locker pickup. Staff pick the order, take it to the locker and load it into a free cell, and the locker records which order went into which cell. The store’s system then sends the customer a one-time code or QR code by email, SMS or app. At the locker the customer scans or types the code, that one door opens, and the collection is logged. If the order is not collected within the store’s pickup window, staff are alerted to retrieve it.

What is the difference between a click and collect locker and a parcel or delivery locker?

Who loads it. In click and collect, the retailer’s own staff load stock the customer has already bought, at the retailer’s site, so the locker only needs to know the store’s orders. A delivery locker in an office or apartment lobby is loaded by riders or carriers who have never been there before, so a delivery platform has to reserve a cell in advance and issue a drop-off code to a stranger. The cabinets look similar, but the software workflow and the integration are different.

How does a click and collect locker integrate with Shopify, WooCommerce or a POS?

Usually through an API and webhooks rather than a plug-in. When an order is marked ready for pickup in the store platform, an event is sent to the locker software, which assigns or confirms a cell and returns a pickup code. The store platform then sends that code to the customer in its own branded message. When the customer collects, the locker sends an event back so the order can be closed. The integration is scoped per project, because every retailer’s order system and pickup statuses are different.

Can click and collect lockers hold chilled or frozen groceries?

Chilled cells can be built in. Perishable food that needs temperature control must be held at 5 °C (41 °F) or below under the FDA Food Code, which US states adopt in their own codes, and England’s legal maximum for chilled food is 8 °C. KioskForce supplies chilled locker cells to order as a custom build, quoted per project. Frozen holding is a different refrigeration specification, so state it at enquiry. A grocery order with ambient, chilled and frozen items will need more than one cell.

How many cells does a click and collect locker need?

Work it out from orders, not floor space. Multiply the daily number of locker pickups by the average number of days an order sits before collection, add the cells occupied by orders that need more than one compartment, and then add headroom for the busiest day. Split the result by size, using the dimensions of your real orders. A store with 40 locker orders a day and an average wait of half a day needs around 20 occupied cells on an average day before headroom.

Can click and collect lockers go outside the store?

Yes, if they are built for it. KioskForce click and collect cabinets can be specified as indoor or outdoor-rated builds, and the rating is set when the cabinet is built, so state the installation site when you request a quote. Outdoor lockers allow collection outside opening hours without opening the building, which is what builders’ merchants trialling 24/7 collection are after. They also need shelter from direct sun and rain on the screen, power and network at the position, and lighting.

What does a click and collect locker cost?

KioskForce quotes per configuration, because cabinet size, cell count, chilled cells, outdoor rating and integration scope drive the price. The online configurator gives an instant estimate for a custom cabinet, and the K180-6C locker kiosk with a 21.5-inch touchscreen and six cells starts from USD 1,800. Chilled cells and integration with your order system are quoted per project. Volume discounts apply at 20, 50 and 100 or more units, and orders start from a single unit for a pilot store.

References

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration — “Food Code 2026” (sections 3-501.16 and 4-204.111; accessed 2 October 2026). https://www.fda.gov/food/fda-food-code/food-code-2026
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration — “Summary of Changes in the 2026 FDA Food Code” (17 September 2026). https://www.fda.gov/food/fda-food-code/summary-changes-2026-fda-food-code
• legislation.gov.uk — The Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013, Schedule 4 (chill holding requirements). https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/2996/schedule/4
• U.S. Access Board — “ADA Accessibility Standards”, sections 225.2.1 and 308 (accessed 2 October 2026). https://www.access-board.gov/ada/
• U.S. Census Bureau — “Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales, 2nd Quarter 2026” (18 August 2026). https://www.census.gov/retail/ecommerce.html

Related

• Smart lockers: how they work, types and cost: the hub guide
• Parcel lockers for apartment buildings
• Heated and chilled food pickup lockers
• Refrigerated lockers
• Smart locker software
• Outdoor smart lockers
• Food and parcel delivery lockers
• Click and collect lockers in UK trade retail

Talk to us about click and collect lockers

Send us a month of pickup order data (counts, packed sizes and how long orders wait), the site, and the system your orders live in. We will come back with a cell layout, an integration outline and a price.