Click-and-collect is now a ‘must have’ delivery option for UK retailers, according to the CollectPlus UK Click & Collect Review 2015, issued by IMRG research company. Chloe Harris, Director of Innovation at wnDirect, said that the option is question is lucrative for all parties involved in ecommerce because people want to be able to get the items they have bought online quickly and efficiently. However, they don’t have the time to actually wait for the items. Omnichannel is key to boosting click and collect customer preference, Harris concluded.
In the retail environment delivery has become as much of a differentiator as the products themselves. Whereas home delivery and same day options were once seen as innovative the ever demanding consumer continues to drive the bar ever higher. Retailers now recognise that by offering flexible and convenient delivery options they can further differentiate themselves from their competitors. Many online stores offer the same products and, therefore, customers make choices based on product price and delivery options.
By offering choice, flexibility and low cost, often free, delivery options retailers have been able to attract the online shopper. Still, the consumer now expects their goods to be delivered quickly and efficiently in a time window that suits them. This trend is now being seen outside of the UK with international consumers expecting the same level of choice, service and cost effectiveness when it comes to delivery even though that parcel is traveling thousands of miles.
Click and Collect solutions have continued to gather momentum as these work well for both parties. For the retailer this option can be more cost effective as parcels are grouped by location, reducing the total number of ‘drops’ and there are less ‘failed’ deliveries. Customers are also confident that they will be able to go and collect their parcel at a time and location convenient to them. To date, however, the PUDO options have been incredibly localised and ‘patchy’ and far from comprehensive in terms of being an international solution.
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