SECTOR INSIGHT
Simplicity, sustainability and driving profit:
What’ s Coming in 2026
» DRAWING ON INSIGHTS FROM Codelocks’ leaders across four continents, Global Director of Marketing at Codelocks, Ros Bayliss, explores with the Codelocks team how customer needs are changing in access control, the shift from locks as an expense to a revenue generator, and how the industry is balancing innovation with simplicity while meeting rising sustainability demands.
In the eyes of some, locks are simply used for keeping people out, and for keeping the contents of a building, cabinet or locker safe. But as we know at Codelocks, access control is about so much more than that. It’ s about managing spaces and giving people convenient access in ways that can transform how a building or space works and feels. That’ s one of the reasons we rarely talk about‘ security’, if at all.
If you focus on access control as being simply about protection, then you’ re likely to see locks and other access control solutions as just a cost – an expense line on a balance sheet. You’ d also overlook one of the biggest changes impacting the industry, and the first of several trends shaping access control in 2026: the change from a cost centre to a revenue generator.
Entrepreneurs and access – from cost to profit centre
“ There’ s been an explosion in shortterm rental applications over several years, and I mean much more than just BnBs or holiday homes,” said Jo Milne-Rowe, Managing Director at Codelocks UK.“ We’ re reaching a point where almost anything that has the potential to be shared and rented out is being. Entrepreneurs are seeing new opportunities, and using access control to turn them into profit-generating realities.”
Festival lockers are a booming example. They are simple storage units rented to attendees at music festivals and events. People book online, select the rental duration, and receive a timesensitive access code instantly. The coded locks allow customers to store belongings without keys, while operators remotely manage thousands of lockers, changing codes automatically between rentals without swapping keys and with minimal staff input.
This use of locks to create new revenuemaking products and services also changes what customers want. It alters
their‘ buying equation’. In applications that focus on short-term product rental to drive revenue, customers are seeking locks that help to improve business fundamentals, like utilisation and booking rates. Likewise, they’ re looking for locks that improve the customer experience and create an attractive, easy-to-use product. As manufacturers and product innovators, this changes what we need to offer customers in 2026 and beyond.
The balancing act – new tech and simple solutions
There is a lot of hype around AI at the moment. And understandably so if you’ ve used ChatGPT or similar. The UK
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