How to Set Up Click and Collect for Your eCommerce Store: A Guide for Beginners

February 22, 2023
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During the pandemic, Click and Collect was a big thing in online shopping. But it wasn't a surprise. The thought had been around for a while. It was first looked at closely in 2018 when it was shown that Click and Collect sales had grown by 75% compared to the year before. At that time, there was no pandemic. When eCommerce and brick-and-mortar shopping were brought together, it was just seen as the next step in the evolution of commerce. But then the pandemic happened. This was a natural trend that turned into a huge need for businesses. As more sales moved online, it became harder for businesses to keep up with the increased demand and meet customer expectations. Click and Collect became a service that customers and stores liked to use. Companies that had already put money into the right technology and set up a "Click and Collect" plan took advantage of the trend. During the second quarter of 2020, Target's Drive Up sales went up by 700% and their online sales went up by 200%. But even though the pandemic is over, this trend will continue because it makes sense. In this post, we'll look at the Click and Collect fulfillment method and go over everything you need to know about it so you can easily use it in your eCommerce strategy.

What is Click and Collect & Why is It Important?

Simply put, it's a way for customers to get their orders. They shop online and then pick them up at the closest physical location. It's also called curbside pickup and "Buy Online, Pick Up in Store" (BOPIS). Customers can find what they need faster and easier than ever with eCommerce websites and mobile apps. But eCommerce still has problems like cart abandonment and low conversions. It doesn't take a lot of intelligence to figure out what the main problems are: There are a lot of things to blame, like high shipping costs and not knowing when the package will arrive. When it comes to sales and conversions, the rule of thumb is to improve the customer experience as a whole. The more smooth your buyer's journey is, the more likely you are to turn a skeptical visitor into a paying customer. The whole point of "Click and Collect" is to make things easy for shoppers. When it's done right, it makes the customer's journey easier and improves the last, but most important, part of e-commerce: order fulfillment and delivery.

How Does Click and Collect Work?

It's a hybrid eCommerce model that mixes online and offline shopping. The customer buys something online, but instead of having it sent to them, they go to the curbside location to pick up their purchase. How it works depends on how you run your business and what strategy you use. Click and Collect is used in different ways by businesses these days.

Pick up at the store the customer chooses when they check out.
Pick up at third-party locations or designated collection points
Pick up at drive-through pick-up lanes

Later in this post, we'll look at how Click and Collect is used by successful companies like Target, Asda, and Ikea to make things easier for their customers.

The Benefits of Click and Collect for Retailers & Shoppers

The whole point of Click and Collect, curbside pickup, and BOPIS is to make things easy for the customer. When people shop online, they want their orders to arrive on time and without extra fees. Customers don't have to wait days or weeks for their orders to arrive, and they don't have to pay extra. Instead, they can drive to the nearest location and pick up their orders. It also makes it less likely that their packages will be stolen, lost, or broken. Companies like Asda also offer a "Try it On" service at the collection point, which adds to the convenience. When a customer drives up to the collection point, they can check their order and even try it on. If they don't like it, they can return it right away at the same place they picked it up. From the shopper's point of view, Click and Collect gives retailers even more benefits. For some businesses, like those in the food and drink and grocery industries, curbside pickup is the only way to fill online orders when the margins are already low. Local deliveries are more expensive and take more work than curbside pickup, especially for small businesses. But it depends on how big the business is. For medium-sized and large businesses, curbside pickup becomes a complicated process that requires a lot of money to develop e-commerce and get the right technology and people to support it. Click and Collect also gives retailers a lot of chances to upsell and cross-sell. Studies have shown that when a customer chooses to pick up their order at the curb, they buy about 50% more than what they originally ordered. Offering BOPIS is also a great way to get more people into a store. This lets retailers use experiential marketing to get customers interested and keep them coming back. Curbside pickup is also very helpful during the holidays when businesses have a hard time keeping up with all the extra shipping orders. Studies have shown that during the holidays, Click and Collect sales go up.

Companies That Use Click and Collect

Let's look at how the experts use Click and Collect in their e-commerce business models.

ORDER PICK UP BY KROGER

Kroger has really changed the food and drink ecommerce space, even though it has kept order pickups simple. Users of the app can choose to pick up their orders when they place their orders, and they can choose the time and date for pickup. Kroger employees are trained to shop for fresh produce, pick out items by hand, and hand customers' orders in the parking lot when they arrive. The app lets users add special instructions for each product they order so that the customer experience is smooth. For example, you can say, "I only want bananas that are ripe." Customers who use Click and Collect can also let the store know when they're 15 minutes away so that their order can be ready in time.

TOYOU BY ASDA

ASDA has taken the idea of "Click and Collect" to a whole new level by adding robots, self-service parcel towers, QR codes, and a lot more. They are using technology to make things easier for their customers. ASDA also works with more than 100 retailers in the UK to offer their customers pick-up and return services. The way it works is simple: when a customer shops at ASDA or one of its partner stores, they can choose to pick up their order from a convenient Toyou location. When the order is ready to be picked up, they get an email with a QR code and an order number. The customer can then drive up to the Toyou location, scan the QR code, and an employee will bring the package. ASDA has also added trial rooms to more than 300 of its stores so that customers can try on the clothes they buy before they drive away. They can send it back through the Toyou parcel tower if they don't like what they bought.

DRIVE UP AND ORDER PICKUP BY TARGET

Target's Click and Collect service lets you choose between Order Pickup and Drive Up. The app automatically finds out where customers are and chooses the store that is closest to them. If you need to, you can also change the store settings in the app. When a user chooses a store, only products that are sold at that store are shown. So, they can shop and have their orders ready to pick up at that store within 2 hours. When a customer chooses "Order Pickup" at checkout, the store staff gets the order ready and has it waiting for them inside the store. Drive Up, on the other hand, lets people pick up their orders without going into the store. They can just drive up to the store and park in the spot marked "Drive Up." The Target app lets people talk to the staff and let them know they're coming, what kind of car they're in, and when they've arrived at the store. Then, within a few minutes, if not seconds, a Target employee brings out their order and loads it into their car.

STORE MODE BY ZARA

The Zara app has a feature called "Store Mode." When a customer turns on Store Mode, he or she can choose which store to shop from. This lets users see the store's real-time inventory or the items that are actually in stock. It has three different ways to fulfill orders through Click and Collect: Click and Go, Click and Find, and Click and Try. When a customer chooses Click and Go, they finish their order online and get a QR code in the app. Then, they drive to the place they chose earlier, have a worker scan the QR code, and the order given to them. Zara has also set up an automated collection point in London's Westfield Shopping Center. Customers can scan a QR code to get their order, then a robotic arm grabs it and hands it to them through a self-service kiosk. In Click and Find, customers choose what they want to buy online, then use an on-screen map to find the item in the store. Lastly, Click and Try lets shoppers buy something online and have it held for them in-store so they can try it out. This choice is especially popular with stores that sell clothes.

CLICK AND COLLECT BY FOREVER NEW

Forever New has added a new feature called Reserve in-store to its Click and Collect service. When customers shop online through Forever New's website or app, they have to choose Reserve in-store in settings and choose their preferred store from the list. Find in-store is a feature on Forever New that lets customers check if a product is available in the store they chose earlier. If it's still available, they can use the Reserve in-store feature to ask for a reservation. When a customer makes a reservation, they get a confirmation email and SMS. Unlike Click and Collect, you don't have to pay anything upfront to reserve the product. Customers come to the store at the right time and try out the product. If they like it, they pay for it and might buy something else as well. On the other hand, they have a simple model called "Click and Collect." But, unlike other businesses we've talked about here, their model is pretty simple. The customer buys an item, pays for it, and chooses "Click and Collect" as the method of delivery. Then, they are given a list of pickup locations from which to choose. When a customer chooses a store, the product is sent from the warehouse to that store and is ready to be picked up a few days later.

Are your systems technically ready for Click and Collect?

You can't and shouldn't set up Click and Collect in a day. If you don't do it right, it could hurt the experience of your customers and make them leave, which would defeat the whole point of offering Click and Collect. When brands started trying out "Click and Collect" in 2016, shoppers said that they had to wait longer, that employees couldn't get their orders, and that their orders ran out of stock. Even though it was a nightmare back then, customers today are more demanding and less patient than ever. As soon as they get to your website, they expect everything to go smoothly, from looking for products to checking out to getting their orders. So, there is no room for businesses to try new things today. When Click and Collect is used correctly, it can make the difference between a happy customer and one who talks badly about your company everywhere they go. So, before you add BOPIS to your online store or mobile app, you need to figure out how to do it right the first time. Here's how your business can use "Click and Collect."

ACCURATE DATA

When implementing Click and Collect, one problem retailers face is having wrong information about their stock. If the customer drives to the right place and finds that the items they want aren't there, it can be a very bad experience. In Click and Collect, it's important to get orders right the first time. And to do this, you need to make sure that the data you have about your inventory is correct. Before you start curbside pickup, you should invest in an inventory management system if your data isn't organized and your records aren't in order. You also need systems to keep track of customer information. If you use an omnichannel eCommerce strategy to sell through different channels, you'll need the right systems and software to keep track of sales and orders from all of those channels.

LINKING YOUR SYSTEMS TOGETHER

All the systems you've spent money on are useless if they only work on their own. To make your business more efficient and cut down on mistakes, you need to combine and connect these systems so you can see your customers, orders, and inventory from every angle.

A SPOT DESIGNATED FOR PICKUP IN STORE

Your store should have a designated pickup spot so that people who drive up to pick up orders don't have to wait as long. For small businesses, it could be a small counter in the store where people who have been trained to handle collection orders are standing by. Large businesses, on the other hand, might want to set up a separate location with a separate staff and workflow.

SYSTEM FOR STORING PARCELS

You need a way to store goods or a small warehouse where orders can be kept until the customer picks them up. The system for storing packages should have lockers, dividers, baskets, and shelves to keep things neat and easy to find. If you're getting more orders for pickup, you might want to invest in automation technology like robots that can pick up orders after a QR code or barcode has been scanned.

EMAIL AND SMS AUTOMATION

Customers and stores need to be able to talk to each other well for Click and Collect to work well. When the order is ready to be picked up, your system should send the customer an email and a text message. When the customer gets to the place, they must be able to talk to the store. It would be best if the customer could just tap a button on a mobile app instead of calling the store and waiting on hold. SMS features can also be added to the CRM or helpdesk so that customers can send a text message to the store to let them know they are coming.

SETTING UP PROCESSES FOR CLICK AND COLLECT

Order pickups and deliveries need to be seen as separate from retail and online sales in order to provide a smooth experience. It should have its own workflows and staff who are only responsible for taking care of these orders. In the same way, its own KPIs can't be used to measure its performance.

DEDICATED PARKING

Customers are more likely to use Click and Collect as a way to get their orders if they have a designated parking spot and can park for free.

Conclusion

During the pandemic, Click and Collect sales went through the roof. But there's no way that this growth will stop. The US Click and Collect market is expected to grow from $70 billion in 2020 to more than $140 billion in 2024. But it must be done right the first time. In the highly competitive eCommerce market of today, there is no room for brands to try out a strategy of "trial and error." Businesses should work with a technology partner from the start if they want to offer ease of use and a great eCommerce experience.

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CanCode.io Blog

How to Set Up Click and Collect for Your eCommerce Store: A Guide for Beginners

What is Click and Collect & Why is It Important?

How Does Click and Collect Work?

The Benefits of Click and Collect for Retailers & Shoppers