Amazon Lockers are coming to a new location: Coachella. The retailer says it will make its storage lockers available to festival-goers, allowing them to order both in advance and same-day to have items like sunscreen, hats, phone chargers and more delivered to an on-site locker at the event at no extra charge during the festival weekends of April 12 through 14 and April 19 through 21.
Ahead of the event, Amazon will also launch a dedicated Coachella storefront on its retail site, where customers can shop festival needs in advance across categories like fashion & accessories, beauty, health & wellness, tech, and camping gear.
To use the new festival Locker system, customers will be able to select one of the Amazon Lockers at Coachella during the checkout process as the shipping address. When the package arrives for pickup, the customers will be sent an email with a barcode that they’ll use to pick up the package.
Amazon says the Lockers will have a dedicated place at the festival and will be staffed by team members in case of any issues that arise.
The retailer today operates Lockers in over 900 cities and towns across the U.S. as an alternative for those who don’t want to take delivery at work or at home. Lockers eliminate issues around package theft concerns, and work well for customers whose “homes” are actually shared spaces, like college dorms. They also allow for convenient returns and can help customers receive some items faster, as they offer a centralized delivery location for package drop off.
However, Amazon Lockers are usually permanent installations – at Whole Foods, local 7-Eleven stores, or other area businesses.
The retailer says this is the first time it’s brought Lockers to Coachella.
The deal with the large music festival is likely more about advertising the Amazon and Prime brands as well as the retailer’s same-day delivery service to a large, receptive audience, rather than a decision to cater to the festival market as a new strategy for Amazon Lockers in general.
However, the move does speak to the flexibility of Amazon’s delivery operations – that it can drop in a few lockers over a weekend, then cash in on the uptick in sales from attendees.
“We want customers to make the most out of their weekend at Coachella,” said Patrick Supanc, Amazon Worldwide Director of Lockers and Pickup, in a statement about Amazon’s plans. “Bringing the convenience of Amazon Lockers to Coachella will help customers focus on their experience instead of worrying about forgetting something at home or having to carry it in with them.”
