DHL eCommerce has over 166,000 Out-of-Home locations across Europe
Our Access Points are conveniently located and perfect if your buyers are not home to receive a parcel. Many ServicePoints (Parcel Shops) are open early, until late. Whereas our parcel lockers allow you to send and receive parcels around the clock.
As demand for Out-of-Home parcel collection and drop-off points continues to rise - especially in urban and metropolitan areas - having conveniently located parcel lockers and shops near homes or workplaces is more important than ever. Today’s shoppers expect the flexibility to send, return, and collect parcels with ease. In fact, for 8 in 10 online shoppers, the availability of their preferred delivery option is a deciding factor in completing a purchase and e-commerce businesses see it too: 60% state out-of-home locations are essential for securing sales and driving repeat business.
Read more about the growing demand for flexible delivery options here.
DHL eCommerce is committed to making Out-of-Home delivery and returns more than just a convenient option - we see it as the new must-have in e-commerce. With the biggest access point network in Europe, we offer more than a locker machine - we provide a complete, seamless user experience. Our services are designed around the needs of our customers and their customers, delivering flexibility, sustainability, and ease of use at every touchpoint. The backbone of this experience is our extensive network, operated by us or through trusted partnerships, and powered by digital capabilities. As demand for smarter, greener solutions continues to grow, now is the time to lead - by investing, innovating, and shaping the future of Out-of-Home delivery and returns.
Pablo Ciano, CEO DHL eCommerce
There’s a growing demand for flexible delivery and returns options
As online shoppers increasingly ask for reliable, affordable, and sustainable delivery and return services - DHL eCommerce supports them by offering convenient and flexible services via the Access Point network. This is also underlined by the results of our series of E-Commerce Trends Reports. Some of the highlights are below:
Europe Leads the Way in Out-of-Home Delivery & Returns
40% of Europeans choose Out-of-Home delivery, with even higher return rates via parcel lockers and shops (75%). Countries like the Czech Republic, Denmark, Poland, and Sweden show especially strong demand for Out-of-Home services, with Poland leading at 68% for parcel locker delivery and 79% for returns.
Businesses are also aware of this growing interest, with nearly 4 in 10 considering the number of out-of-home locations important when partnering with a logistics provider.
Flexible Delivery & Returns Are Critical for Shopper Satisfaction
78% of global shoppers abandon purchases if preferred delivery options aren’t available; 73% do so if returns options don’t meet their needs. Offering flexible Out-of-Home choices reduces failed deliveries, increases convenience, and drives customer loyalty. On the business side, 31% of European businesses plan to prioritize investment in more flexible delivery slots over the next 12 months, while 6 in 10 consider delivery and returns extremely important for securing sales.
Generational Differences Shape Out-of-Home Preferences for Returns
Younger generations lead in using parcel lockers for returns - 33% of Gen Z and 30% of Millennials prefer them - while 53% of Baby Boomers and 35% of Gen X favor parcel shops. Paperless returns are increasingly popular among younger shoppers, although the majority still prefer a return label included in their parcel. European businesses mirror this behavior, with most including a return label in parcels and 45% offering “free” returns by embedding the logistics cost into the product offering.
Tracking and Redirection: Customers Expect Control and Convenience
49% of European shoppers redirect parcels to Out-of-Home locations, compared to 39% globally. Offering easy-to-use, flexible options is essential to meet customer expectations and reduce failed deliveries.
From a business perspective, flexibility is most often offered to customers with product and logistics subscriptions (52%), followed by those with delivery and returns subscriptions (42%).
Sustainability Benefits Through Out-of-Home Delivery and Returns
Out-of-Home delivery is not just about convenience anymore – it’s a conscious choice for sustainability. 31% of European shoppers are willing to switch to collection or drop-off options to reduce their environmental footprint, compared to 23% globally. India leads the way with 48%, followed by the UAE (42%), USA (36%), Thailand (32%) and Belgium (32%).
Businesses are acting on this too, with 41% of European companies using AI for sustainability insights to guide eco-friendly decisions.
All stats and figures are taken from the DHL eCommerce Trends Surveys conducted between December 15th 2025 and February 11th 2026. Within the last three months prior to the survey, shopper respondents were required to have made at least one purchase online and business respondents were required to have regularly sold items online. For shoppers, 50+ questions were asked to 29,000 respondents across 29 countries (1,000 per country), and 50+ questions were asked to 5,800 respondents in 28 countries worldwide, with an equal split across demographics – where possible. Note Morocco did not have a large enough number of business respondents to be included in the business data, as such, results for this country are not included. The countries chosen for this survey represent some of the most active e-commerce markets across the globe. Where percentages do not equal 100%, this is due to certain questions having multiple-choice options. Where there is a deviation of percentages over 100%, this is due to rounding of answer options. Not all data from the survey is displayed on this page or within our report. Country, regional, generational, shopper and business profile data is provided, but this does not reach a level of statistical significance to make definitive statements about specific groups globally. Figures are correct at the time of publishing.
