Why We Love Click and Collect

Christmas saw retailers start traditional Boxing Day sales almost two weeks early, and many customers take advantage of these prices by ordering online from the warmth of their homes. But the pain points of ordering online can put potential buyers off. From entire day delivery slots, to expensive delivery costs, online shopping can often add more pain points than it removes.

But one of the traditionally overlooked methods of shopping, click and collect, is seeing a rise in popularity. The ease of ordering a variety of items online, and popping into a local store to collect the products quickly and easily at your convenience takes out the pain points of ordering online.

Some retailers, like British bookstore Waterstones, often offer lower prices online which can be taken advantage of with click and collect which has a maximum two hour wait between ordering online and picking up instore, allowing for instore comparison to check the best available price. Online shopping isn’t remote anymore, often it’s happening within the retailer.

Often hard to reach retailers can offer an alternative pick up space, such as John Lewis. John Lewis are seeing 70% of click and collect orders being picked up in Waitrose branches, offering an easy collection point which is often more accessible than the larger department stores.

Stay at Home Delivery vs Instore Collection

Ordering large items from online only retailers can be difficult. From Amazon’s next day delivery to a large ASOS order, you can run the risk of parcels being stolen if left outside, or missing the delivery altogether. But online stores are offering alternatives to home delivery.

Amazon launched the Amazon Locker in 2011, which allows customers to easily collect their package from a variety of locations. Customers are given a pick-up code to enter into the locker and then have three days to collect their package from their chosen locker location. Available in libraries, supermarkets and shopping centres, the lockers also have a returns option, further removing the pain points when ordering online.

The benefits of instore collection also allow for upselling of products. By getting customers instore, retailers have the option of increasing revenue from incentives and instore offers.

But We Don’t Want to Queue!

With an increase of users opting for click and collect, it’s easy to see that the reason behind shopping online could be outweighed by the idea of having to queue to pick up your already paid for items.

Queuing instore for click and collect is easily rectified by utilising technology such as tablet kiosks. Due to the increase in demand, Waitrose are installing touch screen units for self-service parcel collection to prevent bottlenecks. This integration of technology is popular due to the self-service nature of click and collect. Customers are happy to interact with self-service kiosks as its seen as an express option, and is in keeping with the click and collect vibe.

Customers can input their order number into a tablet kiosk, which can help speed up the collection process and prevent bottlenecks and queuing in collection areas. The order reference is sent instantly to the holding area, and the package is brought out instantly by a member of staff. If payment is required, the item can be found and brought out whilst the customer is finalising payment, allowing for instant access to their purchase.

By speeding up the process, and continuing the self-service journey, retailers can remove pain points and increase revenue.

By creating an omnichannel process combining online with instore, the best of both worlds can be merged to find the perfect model, which is why we love click and collect.

Browse a range of iPad and tablet kiosks online and look at ways you can change the dynamics of your business with our innovative solutions today. For more information, get in touch with the imageHOLDERS team by calling +44 (0)1202 892863 (UK) or +1 877 450 2172 (US) or email [email protected].