How can multifamily communities keep pace with the tidal wave of online deliveries? The answer lies in choosing the right package management solution. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that retail eCommerce sales reached $304.2 billion in the second quarter, up 1.4% from the first quarter in 2025.
When multifamily communities adopt a well-designed package system, mailrooms remain organized, every parcel is easy to find, and residents stay satisfied. Efficient operations minimize manual tasks and enhance trust by locking down every stage of delivery.
This guide will help developers, owners, and property managers navigate the maze of package management solutions by comparing lockers, manual handling, and smart package rooms so you can make the right choice. It also examines real‑world results and outlines steps to transition to a tech‑forward solution. This resource will help you implement a solution that delights residents and streamlines operations, whether you manage a boutique building or an extensive portfolio.
Why Package Management Matters in Multifamily Communities
Residents shop online more than ever, and expect seamless package handling. Many buildings process hundreds of packages per month, and some residents receive multiple packages monthly. You need a good infrastructure in place to ensure deliveries stay organized, staff time remains focused on services, and residents receive swift and secure pick-up every day. Package management is more than a nice-to-have amenity — it is now considered a core infrastructure component, comparable in importance to high-speed internet or building security systems.
Package management matters in multifamily communities for several reasons:
- Resident satisfaction and retention: Modern systems keep deliveries on schedule, safeguard every package, and minimize wait times.
- Staff workload and efficiency: Smart systems free staff to focus on leasing and resident engagement. Without automation, they can spend hours per week sorting deliveries.
- Security and theft prevention: Porch pirates stole $12 billion in packages in 2024. Secure systems deter thieves and provide accountability.
- Scalability for peak seasons: Holiday surges and sales events can double package volume. Solutions need to scale without overwhelming staff or space.
- Community reputation and competitiveness: Renters compare amenities, and communities with proactive package management stand out in a competitive market.
Compare how each package management system handles your community’s unique situation so you can compare them confidently. Knowing what you need is only the first step, and there are a few package management solutions to consider.
Common Package Management Options Compared
Every community has a different layout, budget, and resident profile. The main package management options include manual handling, locker systems, smart package rooms, and off‑site services:
Manual Package Handling
Before automation, many communities managed packages through manual workflows in which couriers delivered to the leasing office, staff signed for parcels, and residents retrieved items during office hours. The approach required no equipment and offered flexibility at small volumes, but it breaks under today’s demand.
As an example, large 250-unit apartment communities can handle roughly 1,000 packages per month, with labor burdens that can lead to lost productivity. As deliveries accelerate, manual logging and handoffs can strain teams and erode the resident experience. Overflow storage also creates clutter and safety risks.
Locker‑Based Systems
Locker systems introduced a basic form of automation, using built-in compartments to manage and store packages for residents. Packages are brought on-site and delivered into designated lockers by couriers or staff. Residents can pick them up at any time, reducing the need for front-desk handoffs.
Many setups include refrigerated modules for perishables, and they integrate with property management software, creating organized, self-service storage that sends instant alerts. Yet, lockers trade flexibility for fixed boxes and square footage, so expansions require more hardware. Oversized packages or peak surges still cause overflow to be left out unsecured or pushed back to staff, especially during holidays.
Smart Package Room Systems
The Smart Package Room system replaces lockers with open shelving, computer vision modules that monitor standard shelves and precisely track each parcel’s location. Residents follow laser, light and audio guidance from an Amoeba Module to locate their parcels quickly. Presence sensors monitor personnel in the room 24/7 to provide visual records of package activity, while digital logs streamline dispute resolution.
Because standard package storage is shelf-based, rooms achieve higher package capacity per square foot and flex for oversized, refrigerated, and specialty items, scaling smoothly through holiday and promotional peaks without adding locker compartments.
Other zones, such as oversized or refrigerated areas, and envelope bins use visual maps displayed on a kiosk and audio guidance rather than computer vision tracking for retrieval. Couriers deliver packages into the correct zone, and residents authenticate with a code or mobile credential.
- Flexible storage: Open shelving accommodates different deliveries without being limited by dimensions. Dedicated zones organize each parcel type, with every package stored securely behind an access-controlled door.
- Fast and guided pickup: Residents are given secure entry into the room with a QR code, then follow clear laser, light and audio prompts to the exact shelf location. Precision tracking confirms the correct parcel and records the event, reducing errors and pickup time.
- Access to deliveries 24/7: The system allows residents to pick up deliveries at any hour, eliminating the need to wait at the front desk. Automated notifications and in-room guidance replace manual handoffs, freeing up hours for your team to focus on resident services.
- Scalable by design: Capacity expands by adding shelves or defining new zones, rather than purchasing additional locker banks. Open layouts absorb seasonal surges and large-item spikes without forcing overflow back to staff.
The Smart Package Room system handles more packages per square foot than lockers, often two to three times as many. Knowing all the options allows you to consider the essential factors when making a decision.
Key Factors to Consider When Choosing a Package Management Solution
Property managers must examine their building’s physical layout, resident behavior, and long‑term strategy. Selecting a package management solution involves more than picking the latest gadget. Failing to choose a scalable system can result in costly upgrades later. Use this framework to evaluate your options.
- Capacity and Scalability: Data analytics from existing systems or third‑party surveys can reveal daily and seasonal peak package volume trends. Package management solutions should provide secure, organized storage areas that help staff handle overflow during peak times.
- Resident Convenience: The Smart Package Room system enables residents to pick up packages at any time, eliminating time constraints and reducing wait times. Look for systems that offer mobile notifications, user-friendly interfaces, and accessibility features.
- Operational Efficiency: Assess the current allocation of staff time to package-related tasks and consider software integration for streamlined reporting. Automation reduces staff workload by scanning packages and automatically sending resident notifications.
- Security and Tracking: Safety is non‑negotiable. Systems should deter theft with access control, QR codes, and round-the-clock room monitoring. Digital logs provide accountability and help resolve disputes.
- Flexibility for All Parcel Types: People order everything from groceries to furniture. Choose a solution that accommodates oversized items, refrigerated goods, and dry cleaning in addition to standard packages and envelopes. The Smart Package Room system handles a wide range of packages.
The best solutions strike a balance between capacity, convenience, and efficiency, providing a secure and flexible experience. Communities that choose scalable, tech-driven systems avoid future headaches and provide amenities that residents appreciate.
Why the Smart Package Room System Stands Out
The Smart Package Room system offers a compelling combination of scalability and technological affordability among the available options. It takes the concept of a traditional package room and adds precision tracking to create a frictionless experience for residents and staff.
Highest Package Capacity per Square Foot
The Smart Package Room system delivers the highest package capacity per square foot by using open shelving instead of fixed locker compartments. Shelves flex to actual parcel sizes, so every inch works, whether you’re storing small boxes or bulky totes. During promotions or holidays, you create secure overflow package rooms to absorb surges without pushing parcels back on staff. That translates into fewer bottlenecks, faster trips, and smoother daily operations for residents.
Confirm your package management solutions accommodate every parcel type. Flexible storage accommodates a diverse range of packages, enabling immediate retrieval on-site.
Universal Storage Compatibility
Storing and securing every parcel type on-site, without exception, helps accommodate bulky parcels, oddly shaped boxes, and even dry cleaning. Unlike off-site services that depend on third-party schedules, on-site rooms enable immediate retrieval the moment a carrier delivers. This flexibility reduces delays and keeps hallways clear.
Next, it’s essential to assess how package management solutions enhance delivery and retrieval speed with location awareness. Help couriers deliver and residents retrieve packages with automated guidance.
Computer Vision and Audio Guidance
Systems like Position Imaging’s Smart Package Room use computer vision technology to track each package and direct residents to the correct item. Computer vision modules monitor standard shelves, while other zones use visual maps and audio guidance for retrieval. If a resident grabs the wrong package, the system sounds an alarm, prompts them to put it back, and records the event.
This technology also provides real‑time notifications, generating a digital trail for property managers. It also ensures that the amenity serves everyone equally, regardless of what they purchase or when deliveries arrive.
The convenience of the Smart Package Room system’s technology works best when it fits into the space you have and can scale as your property’s needs evolve.
Space-Efficient and Scalable Storage Options
Instead of building new locker banks, communities can convert an existing mailroom with shelving and innovative software. Properties can implement the system in phases and expand as demand grows. The system’s flexible design accommodates various floor plans, ranging from small boutique buildings to large portfolios.
The Smart Package Room system delivers the benefits of lockers and off‑site solutions while avoiding their drawbacks. Its combination of high capacity, universal compatibility, precision tracking technology, and flexible design makes it an ideal choice for forward‑thinking multifamily communities.
Real‑World Results in Multifamily Properties
The Dime, a mixed‑use development in Brooklyn, implemented Position Imaging’s Smart Package Room solution. The system allowed residents to retrieve packages 24/7 using mobile credentials and computer vision technology. It handled 100 % of deliveries, including oversized items and high‑value parcels, reducing staff time and improving resident satisfaction. After installation, staff reclaimed hours previously spent sorting packages, and residents praised the seamless pickup experience. For more details, you can read this case study.
Many multifamily owners now view package amenities as essential to their properties operations. The multifamily residence at 210-220 East 22nd Street in New York City stated, “With the Smart Package Room, we were able to reduce labor costs, while also allowing the staff more time to do their assigned daily activities.”
These results translate into financial returns. Properties that invest in smart package management solutions often see ROI within months due to labor savings, increased efficiency, and higher resident retention.
When residents feel that their deliveries are safe and accessible, they’re more likely to renew their leases and recommend your community to friends, thereby boosting your occupancy and revenue.
7 Steps to Transition to a Smart Package Management Solution
Switching from manual workflows or lockers to a smarter package management system becomes straightforward when approached with simple steps.
Step 1: Benchmark Demand and Pain Points
Use your existing delivery data to guide how you size and design the room. Build a baseline you can use to size the room, estimate savings, and prove ROI later.
- Capture daily averages, peak days, and the percentage of standard, envelope, oversized, refrigerated, and irregular items.
- Time each task from intake to resident pick-up to quantify staff minutes and establish a baseline for ROI.
- Pull carrier scans and property management reports to validate estimates.
Step 2: Evaluate and Prepare the Space
Select a room that supports clean circulation for both couriers and residents. Confirm power, network, and accessibility so the environment matches the system’s needs.
- Audit existing mailrooms or storage areas for square footage, power outlets, network connectivity, ventilation, and ADA paths.
- Plan clearly labeled zones, like standard, envelope, oversized, refrigerated, dry cleaning, as well as safe, uncluttered storage.
Step 3: Design the Layout and Select a Partner
Translate your data into a room plan that fits today and flexes for tomorrow. Choose a provider that can tailor shelving, guidance, and integrations to your operations.
- Customize shelving counts and heights to match parcel mix, and confirm sightlines for in-room monitoring systems.
- Integrate access control and notifications so residents receive text and email alerts with simple credentials for entry.
Step 4: Implement and Integrate
Install hardware and connect software in a way that minimizes front-desk disruption. Test every flow end-to-end before opening the room to residents.
- Coordinate and complete installation, typically within one to three days if the room is already built.
- Connect access systems, notifications, and reporting dashboards, then run end-to-end tests with sample deliveries and resident pickups.
Step 5: Training and Onboarding
Equip your team to manage exceptions confidently and use reports effectively. Give residents simple guidance so their first visit is fast and successful.
- Provide thorough staff training on monitoring, exception handling, and reporting, supported by quick-reference guides.
- Provide residents with clear instructions, on-site signage, and concise how-to videos or emails that outline the credentials and pickup steps.
Step 6: Launch and Communicate
Announce the go-live widely so everyone knows what to expect on day one. Reinforce the benefits and the simple steps for accessing and retrieving parcels.
- Announce go-live dates, access instructions, and benefits across email, portal, lobby signage, and move-in packets.
- Stagger courier briefings so drivers understand drop-off steps before peak times.
Step 7: Monitor, Optimize, and Scale
Use data to keep experiences smooth as volumes and parcel types evolve. Expand capacity before surges, not after lines form.
- Track volumes and first-attempt pickup rates, then adjust shelving or prompts where needed.
- Add shelves or redefine zones ahead of holidays. Refresh staff and resident education on a quarterly basis to ensure smooth experiences.
Make the Smart Choice for Your Community
The Smart Package Room system stands out as the most scalable, tech‑forward, and resident‑friendly solution. It offers unmatched capacity, supports every parcel type, uses precision tracking for frictionless pickup, and adapts to buildings of all sizes.
Eliminate the inefficiencies and risks of unmanaged deliveries. Ready to transform your package management? Contact our team to schedule a consultation or demo and discover how the Smart Package Room system can enhance your property.