Without going any further, it is estimated that the e-commerce sector, that is, the sale and purchase of products or supplies through the Internet, grew by 20% in 2019. And everything seems to indicate that, despite the coronavirus, these figures will continue to increase.
However, there is a business model that has been approaching giant steps for a long time and that combines the best of online and offline. Today, on the CAAD Retail Desing blog we want to talk about Click & Collect.
© Copyright. Assaf-Pinchuk. Big+ click&collect store
What is Click & Collect?
Although there is less and less fear of buying online, there are certain types of products that most users need to see in person before buying it or to finish making the decision to do so. For example, a shirt seen on the screen can be perfect but when trying it, it has a size too tight for us. What if you buy a piece of furniture and then it turns out that the measurements of the furniture are not exact and it does not fit at home?
The most indecisive will prefer to have the opportunity to see and touch the product in first person before buying it. So that this indecision does not stop the purchase impulse, there is a model that from CAAD Retail Design we are clear that it will gain strength in the not too distant future. This is Click & Collect, a system that allows you to purchase online and collect the product for sale, giving the customer that precious opportunity to see and try it in person, directly at the establishment and return home satisfied with their purchase or make a return immediate.
On the other hand, sometimes we resort to online commerce for the immediacy and time savings it requires. For example, I work from home, my desk chair has broken and I urgently need a new one, but I don’t have time to go shopping. What should I do? I search for all the existing options on the Internet, read comments, consult discounts … all through the screen and with a click. In addition, with the Click & Collect system I will only have to go and pick it up at the store and we save a lot of time in the search for the product, which is usually the most difficult.
In short, a Click & Collect system in the retail sector offers us a wide range of opportunities to satisfy customer needs. All this without waiting because an intermediary has to come to look for the product at home or it is necessary to take it to the transport agency’s office in case of return. In this sense, another point in favor of this buying and selling system is the fact that the product usually arrives faster at the store than at the home, therefore, it is another very good way of attracting the customer.
Another point in favor of Click & Collect is the fact that the product usually arrives faster at the store than at the home, therefore, it is another very good way of attracting the customer.
Big brands like El Corte Inglés, for example, have been working with this model of buying and selling for a few years. Although there are many other brands, such as the BOX project, that bet on post offices being the complement to e-commerce stores.
© Copyright. Riikka kantinkoski. Posti Group Oyj
How does Click & Collect work?
We have already mentioned the main utility of Click & Collect: the opportunity to pick up a product that we have purchased online at the establishment. But … how exactly does it work?
The user makes the purchase through the mobile phone, the computer, the tablet … Once the product has been purchased and the payment has been processed, the order is prepared from the warehouse or the point of sale and, instead of sending it by parcel, they use Click & Collect system. Then, the customers are notified by email or sms so that they can pick it up at the delivery point or at the establishment itself whenever they wish.
In short, it is a method that unites the online and offline channels and, in addition, it is most secure and comfortable for the consumer, who enjoys a great shopping experience. And what is good for the consumer is good for us.
Click & Collect is a method that unites the online and offline channels and, in addition, it is most secure and comfortable for the consumer, who enjoys a great shopping experience.
© Copyright. Riikka kantinkoski. Posti Group Oyj
How to implement a Click & Collect service?
The modality of online shopping and store pickup is growing a lot in electronic commerce, but especially in those establishments and brands in the retail sector. And it is one of the best shopping experiences for consumers.
Below, from CAAD Retail Design we collect the most relevant aspects when deciding to implement this system efficiently and effectively in any retail business model.
Control of orders
Online shopping is much more frequent than in a physical store. In addition, the online buyer is much more demanding. Once you have made the payment, you want the product to arrive at the store as soon as possible to pick it up. In this sense, Click & Collect allows us to have control of the entire order preparation process and notify the user of each of the steps of said process, thus offering peace of mind and security regarding the status of their order.
Controlled stock
There are commercial areas that allow the product to be picked up just two hours after having bought it. Such an immediate and fast collection requires that the company have total and absolute control of the available stock. It is necessary to know in real time the availability of the product and to have updated the inventory.
More effective communication
As we said, the control of the stock and the order process facilitates greater communication with the buyer, who can know at all times what state their order is in.
Advantages of combining online and offline
With all the aforementioned, we can reach the conclusions that Click & Collect buying and selling have a series of advantages and benefits:
- The commercial offer is much faster, personal and adapted. Consequently, the shopping experience is more satisfying for the consumer.
- It allows customer loyalty, who discovers the benefits and flexibility of the Click & Collect model.
- Combining online and offline means bringing together the best of both worlds: the electronic and the traditional.
- More sales. Although the consumer buys online, when picking up the product in the store a window opens for a new purchase (Cross Selling) of, for example, complementary products.
© Copyright. Riikka kantinkoski. Posti Group Oyj
Conclusion
Online shopping and store pickup is a trend that is growing in the world of retail and not only among large brands or surfaces, but also among small stores. The flexibility and adaptability to the consumer, together with the possibility of increasing the sales it offers to the establishment, makes Click & Collect into a sales purchase system with great benefits.
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