In the rapidly evolving landscape of retail, convenience and efficiency have become paramount for both consumers and businesses. One innovative solution that has gained significant traction is Click and Collect, a hybrid shopping method that seamlessly merges online convenience with in-store pickup. 

As the retail industry continues to adapt to changing consumer behaviors and technological advancements, Click-&-Collect emerges as a compelling strategy for enhancing customer satisfaction and streamlining operations. 

This article explores the nuances, benefits, and challenges associated with Click-n-Collect in the contemporary retail sphere.

What is click & collect

Click and collect is a service that allows people to shop online and complete their purchases in the store or other affiliated locations, picking up the items they've ordered instead of having them shipped. This strategy offers a blend of digital accessibility and tangible experience. 

Benefits of click & collect

• Customers can save time and money on shipping charges.
  • As orders are picked up from a nearby location, customers can receive their orders faster than if they had to wait for them to be delivered to their doorstep.
  • Additionally, there are no expenses in terms of delivery because pick-up from the store is of charge. 
• For eCommerce brands and DIY retailers, click & collect is beneficial too.
  • Click & Collect is an opportunity to drive foot traffic to brick-and-mortar stores, facilitating upselling opportunities and optimizing inventory management by leveraging impulse purchases during the pickup process. 
  • The more crucial click-and-collect effect is boosting online sales.

How does click & collect work?

1. Shopper places their order online through the store's website or mobile app
2. Store employees gather and prepare the products for pickup
3. The shopper gets a notification when the order is stored in the locker.
4. The shopper arrives at the store or affiliated location and picks up the order.

Click & Collect in retail

Click & Collect, often referred to as Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store (BOPIS), has revolutionized the retail landscape by offering consumers unprecedented flexibility and convenience. By combining the ease of online browsing with the immediacy of in-store pickup, Click & Collect offers a seamless shopping experience that saves time, eliminates shipping costs, and provides greater control over the delivery process. This approach not only meets the growing demand for convenience but also enhances customer satisfaction and fosters brand loyalty. 

Click & collect solutions for DIY

The “do it yourself” segment, or DIY, is increasingly looking into click & collect solutions for online orders. Click & collect is becoming a popular option and is convenient for both customers and DIY businesses. 

There are really two key ways of providing click & collect as an option for DIY: manual pick-up in-store or using a parcel locker. 

Sometimes, the pick-up point is located in the parking lot for customer’s convenience because items are often oversized. That is also a reason why the flexibility of locker compartment sizes is important because some items simply cannot be available for click & collect through a parcel locker with a basic compartment configuration.

OMNIC provides solutions ideal for DIY click & collect services with customized parcel lockers aligning with the most common item sizes for each case. In particular, for IKEA, we produced a parcel locker that is 1.5 meters deep and 11 meters long. The distribution of cell dimensions integrated into the locker was picked according to the most popular order sizes. 

The future of Click and Collect

For as much value as click-and-collect services can add to stores, they also add costs that make turning a profit difficult.

There are several ways of managing click & collect. Often DIY retailers prefer the easiest way, in which there is no need to build and additional infrastructure, because orders are issued at the cash desk for returns. But this option often leads to the formation of queues and, as a result, a decrease in the user experience, while the responsible employee suffers from overload and stress.

The best way is to utilize smart lockers. It allows to automate the process of issuing orders, thus enhancing customer satisfaction, eliminating lines, and reloading personnel. Big DIY brands like IKEA adopted BOPIS with smart lockers as their click & collect method and successfully sticking to it. OMNIC designed custom lockers for IKEA in order to provide a best balance of user experience and convenience for retailer employees.

Moreover, click & collect with parcel lockers is sustainable, which is a valuable in modern society. Customers are more and more aware that package deliveries contribute to harmful emissions and traffic congestion. Thus, they are using pick-up options more often to reduce carbon emissions and packaging waste.

As consumer expectations continue to evolve in an increasingly digital age, Click & Collect stands out as a versatile and effective strategy for retailers looking to adapt and thrive in the competitive market landscape.