Abstract

Last-mile logistics, particularly parcel delivery to diverse customers, is increasingly significant due to the rise of online markets. Despite short distances, the last mile consumes the highest resources in delivery processes, prompting the exploration of various strategies and innovations. Focus has expanded beyond cost considerations to include ecological impacts, with technological advances offering substantial sector gains. The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated e-commerce growth, intensifying parcel deliveries. Parcel lockers, introduced around two decades ago, have seen steady adoption, yet their full advantages remain underexplored. Recent literature has highlighted their relevance, with a surge in related articles in the past three years.

This paper provides an overview of existing parcel locker technologies, their application, and implementation in delivery processes. Beginning with theoretical foundations, it employs a systematic literature review to analyze current research, covering methods, algorithms, and impacts on last-mile delivery and customer satisfaction. By synthesizing insights from diverse research, the paper offers a thorough examination of parcel lockers' state-of-the-art and their influence on last-mile logistics. It concludes with a summary of the reviewed literature and prospects for future developments in the field.