Click&collect is growing in strength – the largest networks are investing in the development of this service

Click&collect enjoys steadily growing popularity among e-customers. For this reason, networks offer newer and newer improvements, providing customers with maximum convenience, which translates into increased sales. Let’s take a look at what opportunities Żabka, Circle K, Decathlon and Amazon customers can use.

Żabka speeds up the implementation of new services

Responding to the pandemic, the leader of the modern convenience segment accelerated the implementation of solutions allowing to reduce the time spent in a stationary store to the minimum. In April, the network began testing click&collect, where consumers can place orders via the żappka app and pick them up at selected stores in Warsaw. The second solution has been piloted in Poznań – it consists in ordering products with home delivery. A hotline has been launched for customers who prefer phone contact. Orders are processed by stores closest to the delivery address that have decided to sell in this model.

Decathlon makes it easier for customers to shop

International network expands the range of pick-up forms and shortens the time of online order processing. New improvements implemented in cooperation with e-point, allow customers to quickly pick up their orders in the store of their choice (in boxes or at the customer service desk), using the provided QR code or collection code, and employees to efficiently process orders. Additionally, the company launched the possibility of collecting orders as early as one hour after placing them (click&At the end of May Circle K made it possible to order selected products online and pick them up at a chosen time (collect 1H), or DriveThru format, where the customer does not have to leave the car to receive the purchased products.

Petrol stations bet on click&collect

At the end of May Circle K made it possible to order selected products online and pick them up at a time selected by the customer. This applies to hot dogs, coffee and basic food products such as bread, dairy products, drinks, sweets, tobacco products and alcohol. This eliminates the need to wait for orders, and your staff prepares them to be ready at the indicated time. In the pilot phase, the service is available at 20 stations in Warsaw and Wrocław. With time, their number will be increased.

Amazon uses secure „caches”

Amazon allows its customers in the U.S. and several other countries to pick up their order in special lockers. The solution is very similar to Polish InPost parcel machines. When finalising the purchase, the consumer has the option to choose boxes located closest to his/her address. When the order arrives at the designated location, the customer receives a one-time pickup code that is valid for 3 days. “Cabinets” are placed mainly in large retail chains so that customers can pick up their orders while doing everyday errands.

Summary

The reason for the success of click&collect is quite simple – it is a model that is very flexible and does not require spending a lot of time on shopping. Customers value convenience and appreciate services that adapt to their needs. For the other side – retailers – it is a solution that effectively lowers the cost of the “last mile”, and thus relatively influences the increase in the number of satisfied customers, and thus sales.

Author

Radosław Opałko, e-commerce expert and representative of the Board of Directors for the Polish market. key customers in e-point