The operators of the citylocker.store in Innsbruck's old town have recognised the signs of the times. They used the vacancy on the ground floor of their apartment building to offer an intelligent locker system with three services: (1) as rentable lockers for tourists, (2) for Click & Collect handovers from local retailers and (3) as a rentable parcel station for city centre residents or employees.
Pioneering spirit, location and network as success factors.
As a successful Innsbruck family business with two hotels, two apartment buildings and several restaurants, Andreas Perger and his team have decades of experience when it comes to ensuring that tourists have a wonderful and carefree time in Innsbruck. In 2021, in the course of renovating an apartment building, the opportunity arose to renovate the business space on the ground floor with a new Utilisation concept to play. The location was particularly interesting: in the middle of Innsbruck's old town and easily accessible from two sides, the location was especially attractive.
Due to Mr. Perger's involvement in the tourism association, he had long been aware of the problem of luggage storage for tourists through networking with colleagues in the industry. The solution was initially supposed to be very simple: a locker system with rentable compartments for suitcases, bags and shopping was to be built into the vacant business premises. "The search for a partner was not so easy in 2021; we had previously looked at systems from China. But these providers couldn't really convince us, through further research we came across Variocube from Linz. We then contacted existing Variocube customers and received a clear recommendation. After the first discussions with Mr. Spindler, it was clear to us that the chemistry was right and the flexibility of the Variocube solutions convinced us."
"Recognising the signs of the times is especially important in tourism; those who quickly pick up on new trends and skilfully implement them are ahead of the game. With the competent support of Variocube in the planning and implementation of the locker system, we have succeeded. We can relieve visitors:inside of one worry and thus live up to our service claim. The bonus: Thanks to the advertising opportunities and rental income, the system pays for itself with low maintenance and operating costs."
Hkfm Andreas Perger Managing Director Citylocker.store, Leipziger Hof Innsbruck, Basic Hotel Innsbruck, Hahn Coffee & Breakfast.
Three utilisation concepts at one location
Already in the first discussions it became clear that the location at the Marktgraben 13 offers more possibilities than a pure daylocker station. Therefore, it was decided to integrate two further uses into the concept.
The station is very popular with tourists. They can book in advance in just a few steps on www.citylocker.store reserve a locker and pay online. Or book a locker directly on the station display and pay at the card terminal. Afterwards, they have their hands free for a carefree day in Innsbruck and can enjoy the old town with its numerous sights to the full. "In the statistics, we clearly see a peak in the morning hours, when visitors come for their day trip or after check-out from the hotel and drop off their luggage," explains Mr. Perger.
Local producers and traders can use the locker facility for Click & Collect for a small fee. This is primarily intended to take into account the high level of service offered by the inner-city businesses and to sensibly extend their opening hours. Pre-ordered and paid goods are deposited by the shops in the locker system and can be collected by customers around the clock.
Residents and workers in the city centre often share the same suffering. They are unable to receive parcels and have to travel to more distant pick-up stations or parcel shops in their free time. In the often narrow entrance areas of the old town, it is often not possible to install one's own parcel boxes or to deposit the parcels in other, often adventurous places in the building. Rentable parcel boxes are intended to remedy this situation. After signing a rental contract at www.citylocker.store/paketempfang-/-postbox, users can have parcels delivered directly to the Citylocker.at station and then pick them up on their way to work or home, easily and without any extra detours. The lockers are distributed dynamically according to space requirements and are not assigned to individual users.
Niche installation as a visual highlight.
When integrating the system into the shop, a flush niche installation was chosen, so that the system forms a homogenous unit with the interior design. In addition, screens were installed for advertising and to inform tourists. This resulted in a visually appealing solution.
Security is guaranteed not only by the high level of burglary protection of the Variocube lockers, but also by on-site video surveillance. In addition, access is secured from 20:00 by scanning an ATM or credit card.
With little personnel expenditure and advertising, it's a sure-fire success.
"For us, this utilisation concept is a no-brainer, the service and maintenance effort is extremely low. Our caretaker checks on things once a day, that's all we usually have to do," says Mr. Perger happily, "we have put bookable advertising space and a monitor for videos on the inside of the doors. These spaces are very popular with tourism-related businesses and are well booked. With these advertising formats and the rental costs, the facility stands on its own two feet."
