Click and Collect: A Convenient Way to Help Customers

Last updated on May 11th, 2022 at 09:28 am

The pandemic caused a renaissance of sorts for retail brands, encouraging more shoppers to forego the in-store shopping experience for the convenience and safety of online shopping. 

But thanks to slower USPS delivery times and rising shipping costs, shoppers are growing increasingly frustrated with online shopping. Since next-day or two-day shipping is not always viable, or inexpensive, consumers are looking elsewhere to get instant gratification. 

More shoppers are expecting brands to offer click and collect. With click and collect, shoppers can pick up an item in-store—usually in a matter of hours, sometimes even less!

Click and collect not only puts products in shoppers’ hands faster, but it also simplifies fulfillment for brands. And it’s a trend that’s taking off. In 2020, shoppers spent $72.46 billion on click and collect orders.

This fulfillment strategy is a win-win for both shoppers and retail brands. In a competitive market, it can help not only improve margins but also meet evolving customer expectations. 

Let’s get into how click and collect works and its advantages for retail brands. 

What Is Click and Collect? 

Also called BOPIS, which stands for buy online pickup in-store, click and collect is a type of omnichannel fulfillment. A shopper orders your product online as usual, but instead of shipping it to their home, they choose to pick up their order at a physical location. 

Generally, shoppers would pick up their orders at one of your brick-and-mortar store locations, but you could enable them to pick up from any physical location. For example, at your curbside, a UPS or FedEx store, or even a shipping dropbox.

How Does Click and Collect Work? 

As long as you have a robust order management system (OMS), click and collect allows for a seamless shopper experience. Here’s how the click and collect model works:

• The customer chooses click and collect. Your customer shops online or via your retail mobile app and chooses click and collect instead of one of your shipping options. The system will display which physical locations the shopper can collect the item from, and often when the item will be available for collection. The customer completes their order and pays. 
• An employee prepares the order. Click and collect integrates with your POS and store inventory management systems. An associate or the store will get a notification on their store solution that an online order needs to be fulfilled. In a timely manner, they pick the items and pack them up so they’re ready for the customer’s arrival. 
• The system notifies the customer. When the customer’s item is available for pick up, they will receive a notification via email or SMS. Most click and collect models give shoppers a window of time for when they can pick up their item. 
• The customer picks up the order. When the customer arrives, a store associate equipped with a mPOS can handover the order from anywhere in the store. It’s usually as simple as scanning a QR code on a printed or digital receipt.

3 Major Advantages of Click and Collect

Although click and collect may require a few changes to the back end, it’s a smart model for omnichannel shopping. It combines the best of brick-and-mortar and online shopping to give customers the speed and convenience they expect. 

Brands who offer click and collect options enjoy these three advantages. 

1. Better customer experience

Three-quarters of shoppers who have tried click and collect want to continue using it. That’s because it eliminates several pain points that shoppers experience with online shopping, including: 

• Control: Click and collect is a great way to give shoppers more control over their shopping experience, allowing them the flexibility to pick up their order when it fits their schedule. 
• Speed: Depending on product availability, it’s often faster for shoppers to pick up orders at a retail location than to wait for mail delivery. 
• In-store engagement: Click and collect brings customers into your store and allows your store associates to engage directly with shoppers. If they have any questions about their order or other products, there’s a friendly face available to offer immediate assistance.

2. Reduced costs

Click and collect orders allow brands to utilize their existing footprint to fulfill online orders. This helps to improve margins since you’ll save on shipping costs.  Simply fulfill orders to your retail location and wait for customers to pick up their purchases. 

3. Increased sales

When customers pick up their items in-store, they have another chance to browse your products. Since 49% of customers make unplanned purchases when they pick up their order in store, this is an easy win for your bottom line. 

Click and Collect Made Easy with NewStore

Click and collect is gaining traction. The more shoppers use this fulfillment option, the more they will expect it. 

As a retail brand, you need a flexible omnichannel system that allows shoppers to enjoy a seamless click and collect experience. NewStore can help you facilitate click and collect. Request a demo today.