By: Shelly Peterson
Package delivery is an ongoing challenge for apartment communities, and apartment package volumes keep rising year over year. In 2024, U.S. package volumes reached 22.4 billion — a 3.4% increase over the prior year. Traditional approaches of piling boxes in a mailroom or at the front desk can no longer suffice.
U.S. online sales reached $241.4 billion between November and December alone, underscoring the strain on mailrooms and front‑desk workflows. In response, two popular solutions have emerged — package lockers and smart package rooms.
In this guide, we compare the differences between lockers and package rooms, and highlight why Position Imaging’s Smart Package Room® solution is the most scalable, highest capacity, package locker alternative for multifamily housing.
What Are Package Lockers?
Package lockers are modular banks of secure compartments that couriers use to deliver packages to residents. Once delivered into the compartment, the resident receives a notification with an access code to pick up their parcels. Although lockers introduced automation and basic security to apartment deliveries, their fixed-size cubbies waste space. Oversized or perishable items are often too large, and expansions require additional new hardware that many buildings cannot accommodate due to their bulky, space-consuming design.
As parcel volumes increase, the structural limitations of lockers can’t keep up, highlighting the need for a more scalable package management solution that can handle the delivery volume during the peak shipping seasons.
Common Limitations of Package Lockers
While package lockers were a step up from manual package rooms, they come with several significant drawbacks, such as:
- Space Inefficiency: Lockers require a large physical footprint and offer limited flexibility in storage. Fixed-size compartments often waste space and cause capacity shortfalls. For instance, a small envelope might sit alone in a big locker, consuming more room than necessary, while a large box might not fit in an available slot.
- Oversized & Specialty Package Problems: Standard locker banks struggle with huge items or non-box deliveries. Many locker systems lack compartments large enough for bulky furniture packages or irregular items, such as dry cleaning. Couriers often leave oversized deliveries at the front desk when they’re too large for a locker.
- Capacity Bottlenecks: Lockers impose a hard limit on how many packages can be stored, which becomes a serious challenge during peak periods. Once all compartments are full, couriers don’t have a secure space to deliver new packages. Property managers then have to add more locker units or manually manage the overflow. Lockers also cannot dynamically expand for seasonal surges, so scalability is limited by their fixed capacity.
- High Cost & Maintenance: Installing package lockers is a costly investment. Each locker door has mechanical parts and electronic locks that can malfunction or wear out. Property managers must factor in maintenance costs if any component of the locker system breaks, along with the hassle of taking units out of service for repairs.
- Limited Flexibility: Once installed, lockers can not be easily relocated or reconfigured. They require a suitable stretch of wall or floor space and usually a power and data connection. For older buildings with smaller mailrooms, standard locker banks might not even fit. This rigidity makes lockers less adaptable for communities with constrained spaces or frequently changing needs.
Package lockers brought automation to apartment package management, but at the cost of space efficiency and adaptability. These limitations have paved the way for a more advanced approach, designed to address the very pain points that lockers cannot overcome.
What Are Smart Package Rooms?
A smart package room is the next step in parcel delivery solutions for apartments, designed to overcome the limitations of traditional lockers. Instead of fixed metal compartments, a smart package room is a secure room equipped with cameras, sensors, and software for tracking packages.
This concept emerged as eCommerce volumes exploded and locker systems proved insufficient for the surge. Forward-thinking property owners began looking beyond lockers for something more scalable and automated.
Smart package rooms evolved as the answer. They combine the security of a locked room with cutting-edge tech to efficiently manage deliveries. In a smart package room, couriers drop off packages onto open shelving instead of fumbling with multiple locker doors.
The system auto-logs each item and notifies residents. Property managers increasingly choose smart package rooms as the modern solution for apartment deliveries, a tech-forward upgrade from the old mailroom.
Key Benefits of Position Imaging’s Smart Package Room® System
Not all smart package room systems are equal. Position Imaging’s Smart Package Room system in particular, has emerged as a leading solution in the multifamily industry. It offers a suite of advantages that directly address the common locker limitations, like:
Real-Time Delivery Notifications
The moment a courier drops off a package in the smart room, the system automatically sends the recipient an instant alert via text and/or email, with no need for a dedicated app. Residents receive a notification with collection instructions as soon as their package arrives.
No more waiting or wondering, with manual systems or misused lockers, where residents might not know if a package is there until much later. Prompt notifications also reduce how long packages sit uncollected.
AI-Powered Computer Vision Tracking Technology
Position Imaging’s Smart Package Room solution provides end-to-end visibility for every delivery. Computer vision technology visually tags and monitors each parcel, while light, laser, and audio guidance direct residents to the precise location of their package in the room.
This precision tracking technology creates a digital chain of custody. Residents can effectively follow their package’s journey from drop-off to pickup, giving them peace of mind.
Handles All Parcel Types and Sizes
The Smart Package Room system’s open shelving accommodates packages of all shapes, sizes, and types, from small padded envelopes to oversized items. Even items that lockers usually exclude, like perishable grocery deliveries or dry-cleaning items, are included.
Packages do not need to be managed outside the system. This all-in-one approach means every delivery can be accepted and stored securely until it is picked up.
24/7 Self-Service Access
The Smart Package Room solution ensures residents can retrieve packages at their convenience. Renters scan a QR code on their phone to access the room independently, 24/7. This round-the-clock availability is a massive convenience upgrade over old mailrooms and even some locker setups that don’t offer residents the ability to pick up their packages at any time.
More Capacity in the Same Space
The Smart Package Room solution dramatically improves package capacity. Shelves can be used from floor to ceiling and configured in any way so there’s no wasted space.
This design means even during peak periods, the room is far less likely to run out of space, delivering more bang for your square footage buck, a crucial benefit for multifamily complexes where every square foot counts.
Retrofit-Friendly Installation
Implementing a Smart Package Room system doesn’t require building an entirely new space from scratch. A dedicated design team creates a room that is customized to your building’s footprint. This adaptability means properties don’t have to undergo major reconstruction to develop a new space for your package deliveries, as they would for traditional locker installations.
Overall, it’s a more scalable and property-friendly approach. Whether retrofitting an older building or planning a new one, the Smart Package Room system can flex to fit.
Package Lockers vs. Smart Package Room: Side-by-Side Comparison
To summarize the contrasts between conventional locker systems and Position Imaging’s Smart Package Room system, the table below highlights key factors:
Features of the Smart Package Room System’s Technology
Resident Access and Convenience
Package lockers aim to offer residents convenient, self-service pickup of their parcels at any time. The Smart Package Room system provides 24/7 access. Residents can enter the secure package room at their leisure, regardless of whether leasing staff are on-site.
With lockers, there are cases where access might be restricted. For instance, if lockers are inside a closed mailroom that requires concierge assistance to pick up their packages.
Security and Tracking
Both options keep packages behind locked doors, but the Smart Package Room solution adds layers of security and visibility that lockers lack. A package locker system secures parcels in closed compartments and typically logs which courier and resident accessed each compartment, sometimes with a photo at delivery.
The Smart Package Room system uses presence sensors that continuously monitor personnel in the room, unique access codes control entry for each courier and resident, and computer vision tracks every package’s movement. This higher level of oversight also helps minimize liability for the property.
Operational Efficiency
From a property management standpoint, the goal of any package management solution is to minimize the workload on staff. Lockers often require extensive staff involvement to manage packages as they frequently lack the ability to accommodate the different shapes and sizes of packages. Therefore packages end up getting dumped on the floor or put in other storage areas, making it more challenging for residents to locate independently. In addition, lockers’ hardware-heavy design is more prone to higher maintenance issues, forcing staff to be more hands-on.
The Smart Package Room system requires minimal staff involvement as all packages are delivered in one centralized space and organized by type – standard, flat, and oversized. This alone reduces staff involvement as residents know that their items are in one location. In addition, the software-based system requires less daily maintenance, therefore lessening staff workload.
When Lockers Fail, and Package Rooms Succeed
Different apartment communities have different needs. Below are scenarios where traditional lockers often fall short, and why the Smart Package Room solution shines.
High-Density Properties
In a high-density multifamily apartment building, package volumes can be enormous. A 500 or 1000-unit property might see hundreds of packages per day. Package lockers can’t keep up in these conditions. If 200 packages arrive in one day but the locker bank holds only 100, apartment staff must store the other 100 packages somewhere, often in a separate location.
Installing enough lockers for a high volume property is usually impractical. This is precisely where the Smart Package Room system excels. Its high-density storage and dynamic capacity can handle the volume of large properties with ease. That kind of scalability and efficiency is crucial for high-density living.
Space-Constrained Communities
Not every apartment building has a spacious mailroom or an empty area dedicated to package deliveries, especially in older buildings or urban conversions, where space is at a premium. Traditional lockers demand a fixed block of floor space with sufficient depth and clearance, which many properties can’t spare without major renovations.
Smart package rooms are highly adaptable to the space available. You can outfit any room as a Smart Package Room solution. There’s no need to sacrifice valuable square footage for rows of metal lockers.
The smart solution is ideal for all types of apartment buildings large or small. It’s a solution that works within your property’s constraints rather than requiring new construction.
Premium Resident Expectations
In upscale apartment communities and those targeting tech-savvy residents, offering modern amenities is key. Package lockers, while helpful, are now a somewhat dated concept. Today’s residents often expect a higher level of service: app-like convenience, instantaneous notifications, and innovative features. It signals that the building is investing in modern, intelligent solutions for everyday needs.
A smart package room can handle the premium services residents use, like grocery delivery or laundry pickup, without missing a beat. Meeting the expectation with a best-in-class solution can be a real differentiator in attracting and retaining residents who demand the best.
Why Position Imaging Leads the Smart Package Room Market
As the creator of the Smart Package Room® solution, Position Imaging has a strong head start and unique advantages in this growing market. Here’s what sets this solution apart from other package management options.
Position Imaging’s Smart Package Room Solutions Tech Advantages
Position Imaging brings a serious tech pedigree to package management. The company has developed its own Amoeba computer vision technology, backed by over 100 patents. The Smart Package Room solution isn’t using off-the-shelf cameras or basic motion sensors; it employs cutting-edge technologies to track every package’s location precisely.
Smart Package Room’s Amoeba module (part of the Amoeba system) is a proprietary feature that visually guides users to the correct item with a laser pointer, speeding up resident pickups. These innovations, from advanced computer vision to smart sensors, give Position Imaging’s Smart Package Room solution a level of intelligence and accuracy that generic locker systems or basic package rooms can’t match.
Built for Every Parcel, Not Just Packages
One of the biggest differentiators of the Smart Package Room solution is its ability to handle much more than just typical packages. It accommodates all types of resident deliveries.
For example, if your residents have weekly grocery deliveries, the Smart Package Room system can easily store perishable items in its refrigeration area to keep food fresh. If residents are getting dry cleaning delivered, the room has a designated dry cleaning area to store them.
This breadth of package acceptance is something that lockers and many competitors can’t do. The Smart Package Room solution was built from the ground up to be shape and size-inclusive. Every single delivery, regardless of package type or size, can be delivered into the system and kept secure behind an access-controlled door. The Smart Package Room system is an all-encompassing approach that aligns with the reality of modern eCommerce.
Competitive Differentiation
When weighing Position Imaging’s Smart Package Room solution against other package management solutions on the market, a few clear advantages emerge:
- Flexibility: The Smart Package Room solution offers greater flexibility in implementation and use. It can fit into an existing space with minimal disruption, whereas locker systems require a predefined area and often look like a one-size-fits-all metal installation.
- Capacity: Traditional locker banks and older package room setups can’t come close to the 2–3 times package capacity per linear foot that the Smart Package Room system achieves.
- Lower Maintenance: With fewer moving parts and robust enterprise-grade hardware, the Smart Package Room system is relatively low-maintenance. It can often be diagnosed or fixed with software updates or a quick part swap, rather than replacing an entire locker module.
- System Integration: Position Imaging designed its technology for seamless integration. The Smart Package Room platform can integrate with property management systems, access control, and other software to ensure seamless data flow.
Ready to Upgrade to Your Package Delivery System?
Tired of wrestling with package overflow in locker systems? Position Imaging’s Smart Package Room solution gives your multifamily apartment community the edge: residents get convenient 24/7 self-service access, couriers get a quick one-stop drop-off, and your staff gets relief from the daily package grind.
Contact our team today to learn more. We’ll help you design a custom Smart Package Room solution that fits your property’s needs – whether you’re retrofitting an existing space or planning a new development. Say goodbye to package chaos and hello to a streamlined, high-tech amenity that delights residents and staff alike.