Online shopping is everywhere. Today, the majority of people consider looking for products online before they head out to any local physical stores.
Online shopping has become really big over the years. Let’s take Amazon, for example, in the year 2019 the gross profit of this company was $114.986B; by 2021 it reached $197.478B, and these numbers will keep growing in the coming years.
In a rapidly growing technological era, any business owner looking to take his/her company to the next level should integrate online services. Click and collect is a great online delivery option that any small or large business can integrate into its business model.
Click and collect is a hybrid e-commerce model in which a customer makes the purchase/order online and picks up the items from a specific location/store at their convenient time.
This business model has become increasingly popular in recent years, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Benefits of Adopting Click and Collect Business Model
A click-and-collect business model is extremely popular because compared to the typical home delivery model, in this model customers get their product faster and at a more affordable price. It also gives customers the experience of real-time shopping.
In 2022, all small retailers, local groceries, and even national chains like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy are offering click-and-collect options.
Benefits of Click-and-Collect
Having a Click and Collect option provides advantages to both customers and store owners!
Ordering online is like gifting a present to yourself and waiting for the gift to arrive is agonizing. Unlike the home delivery model, customers don’t have to wait for the package when they choose to click and collect. Customers can collect products from designated locations or in-store without even having to park their cars.
On the other hand, store owners also don’t have to worry about dispatching the package through a courier service. It saves both time and cost. Additionally, it also eliminates the risk and cost that comes with ‘missed deliveries’.
Having said that, the benefits of click-and-collect boil down to,
- Higher Customer Satisfaction – Compared with home delivery, the service is faster, more convenient, and more affordable.
- No More Waiting in Queue – Customers don’t have to line up in front of the cash counter for payment.
- Faster Order handling – In comparison to other delivery methods, click & collect is easier to guarantee same-day or next-day delivery
Benefits of Click-and-Collect for Retailers
Do you know? In 2018 alone both Target and Walmart added 1000 stores to their curbside pickup program. The decision of adding these stores got both companies to generate more sales than they had expected.
From a retailer’s point of view, here are some benefits you get by integrating a click-and-collect business model.
- More Sales – Click & collect purchases tend to have a higher basket value since shipping costs are reduced.
- Lower Logistics Costs – Retailers can manage delivery modes more easily as it allows for fewer courier and warehouse resources than home delivery.
- Omni Channel Strategy – Omni channel in simple words means selling products through different channels or means. Consumers value having all possible shipping options.
Benefits of Click-and-Collect for Consumers
Depending on the type of products, there are many benefits of using click-and-collect over traditional online purchases.
- Convenient – Whether a person is at home, at the office, or outside the city area, they can still make the orders and collect products at the nearest outlet. They don’t have to be at the registered address to pick up the parcel.
- No Delivery Cost -Home delivery can be extremely convenient, but you have to pay extra for that. With click and collect order you can save the delivery cost.
- Fast Availability – Unlike traditional online shopping, you don’t have to wait for the parcel to arrive. Once your goods are packed, you can pick them up as soon as possible at your convenience.
How to Get Better At Doing It?
Integrating a click-and-collect can be easy but to make it work for you will need some trial and error. All businesses should decide on their click-and-collect programs depending on the types of customers and their needs.
Take Zara for example, they have a store mode within their app. Inside store mode, the customer gets 3 clicks and collects fulfillment methods: Click and Go, Click and Find, and Click and Try.
Zara has a dedicated customer and their click-and-collect options are personalized as per their customer needs. So, don’t even think of mimicking their style. Instead, take some inspiration.
Other than that, here are a few basic things you should keep in mind while building a click-and-collect platform for your customers.
- Mobile Friendly – According to Statista, there are approximately 5 billion people using smartphones in 2022. This means you have to optimize the click-and-collect portal for mobile devices.
- Multiply Your Pickup Points – The more pickup points you have the better you will be able to serve customers in dedicated areas. This not only applies to retailers who have physical stores, even online retailers can take advantage of multiple pick-up points.
- Clear Expectations – The checkout process should be seamless. Make sure to collect the correct emails and phone data at the checkout point. After check out, give your customer the pickup instructions, pickup due date, and Pickup locations.
Give Your Customers the Convenience of a Mobile Wallet
For retailers and business owners, the click-and-collect model is an opportunity to up-sell and cross-sell their products. But there are lots of things that go into making a perfect click-and-collect platform.
You need an app for easy product browsing; you need a mobile wallet for easy checkout, accurate customer data, multiple pick-up sites, and more.
Your primary focus should be E-wallet because this is where the transaction takes place. When you use a bad online payment gateway, the checkout could take more time than it should. The transaction could fail; the payment platform could get hacked, etc.
Choosing the right E-wallet is crucial for any business looking to integrate click-and-collect options into their business model.
