Click and collect became generally popular in the UK in the 2010s, at which point it felt very futuristic. Since then, it’s dropped off in popularity because of the pandemic, which put consumers off going into stores to collect their items. The lockdowns set home delivery as the preference. However, results of a new UK study of 300 household name retailers from IMRG suggests that click and collect might be on its way back.
IMRG asked their respondents, ‘what is your opinion of click and collect/locker services’? The two most popular answers were that retailers wanted to invest in better click and collect (43%) and that they wanted to introduce it in the future (25%). With rising demand for more sustainable practices, and different delivery options, there seems to be appetite for the delivery fulfilment solution.
What is your opinion of click and collect/locker services?
When this data is broken into multichannel (red) and online only retailers (blue) we get further insight on this interest in click and collect. Online only retailers were almost six times more likely to say they want to prioritize home delivery in their plan over multichannel (2%). However, online only retailers were also four times as likely to want to introduce it in the future than multichannel. Of those wanting to invest in the service, 32% of multichannel retailers are ready to make it a better. service, suggesting there’s appetite for this delivery option.
What is your opinion of click and collect/locker services?
(Blue = online-only. Red = multichannel.)
Finally, IMRG asked which delivery options retailers were interested in for the future, and there was an overwhelmingly positive response towards click and collect, and locker services. Check out our blog on click and collect and locker services for more data on the topic. Delivery hotspots and couriers waiting seem to be far off in the future if they’re going to gain any traction, whilst lockers and click and collect offer quicker and more sustainable options for the customer and retailer.
Which of the following delivery options are you interested in for the future?
We can see from this new research that whilst it may seem as though the appetite for click and collect decreased during the pandemic, retailers are experiencing more of an uptake, perhaps because of sustainability concerns, or ease for the customer. Retailers should not rule out the benefits of this method of order fulfilment, due to the costs saved, and the benefits for the consumer.