Around 44% of shoppers purchasing online from DIY and ‘out of town’ retail brands are choosing to collect their goods rather than have them delivered according to new research commissioned by retail communications specialist, Quail Digital.
Of those that do collect, convenience was cited as the main motivation for collecting (47% of respondents) considerably ahead of cost saving (17%) and not being tied to a delivery time (13%). Among the least important factors was the ability to buy additional items.
In addition, the traditional male stereotype of disliking shopping seems to be borne out with men rating having goods ready and quick transaction with store staff as priorities, although they also rated the ability to ask questions and get advice as important.
When arriving at the collection point, having the goods ready for collection was by far the most important criteria with 67% of respondents rating this as the number one priority.
Quail Digital, whose wireless headset communications systems are used by major grocery and out-of-town retailers such as the Co-operative, Sainsbury’s, Homebase, IKEA and drive thru restaurant brands KFC, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Quick, commissioned the research to establish how and by whom click and collect was being used across the country.
“Click and collect, or click-pay-and-collect, is very popular,” says Quail Digital CEO Tom Downes, “but execution needs to be thought through. Our research shows that customers want to pick up their orders quickly and without queuing, and ideally, have their goods loaded into their cars.”
According to the gender breakdown in the research, some female shoppers also rate cost saving and not being tied to a specific delivery time as key reasons for choosing to collect their goods.
By region, Scottish shoppers are most likely to collect their orders, with people in Northern Ireland least likely. For shoppers in the East Midlands speed of transaction is key, although they are also most likely to buy more items. People in East Anglia rate not being tied to a time slot as most important and they also appreciate designated parking. Convenience and having their cars loaded is most important to shoppers in the South East.
“Prompt collection of click and collect is likely to make or break the success of the service, and that needs efficient staff communication in store” says Downes, “On-line ordering is about efficient fulfilment, so getting the order from storage area to customer is all-important.
“If DIY and other out of town retailers want to encourage more take up of click and collect they could consider the drive thru model where operators have fine-tuned fulfilment of car-bound order taking. With a combination of order points and headsets, store staff are pre-alerted to customer’s arrival, with wireless headset communication maximising the prep time to expedite orders from storage areas and getting them into the hands of the customer efficiently.”
