‘Click and collect’ gains traction in U.S.
Click-and-collect services allow customers to order items online and then pick them up at a designated location or local store. In the United Kingdom, the 2013 holiday shopping season revealed the surging popularity of this option, particularly for urgent orders that could be held up by delivery. Click-and-collect programs haven't been as widely deployed in the U.S., but that could be changing.
Recently, Walmart decided to explore click-and-collect services for grocery items in Denver, Retail Solutions Online reported. Customers can place orders online and receive a notification when their items are ready to be picked up. From the parking lot, shoppers can call a store's number to have an employee bring their order to them. The click-and-collect option also makes it easy for customers to grab a few additional items at brick-and-mortar stores if they forgot to include them in their order. Retail customer trends show that shoppers prefer to pick up grocery items in stores rather than have them delivered, according to a Quail Digital survey.
Merchants are listening to customers' needs and tailoring their services to improve the shopping experience, Forbes noted, and this often includes using retail technology to integrate options across channels. Click-and-collect services provide the convenience of ecommerce while catering to consumer preferences.
