Insight / Blog
Why an outstanding click & collect service is a must-have for retailers at peak
As customers, there’s no time of year when we’re more emotionally invested in getting an ecommerce purchase on time and safely than during peak. That’s because we’re much more likely to be buying for someone else, or perhaps for a seasonal event. Whether it’s about a new suit for a work do or a beautiful gift for a family member, peak purchases come with emotional baggage, and retailers have to recognise that.
The trouble is that as a customer, getting these purchases delivered to your home can be a risk. Firstly, if your shopping isn’t going to fit through the letterbox, you will need to be at home – that’s a pain. If you’re not, you’d better hope your neighbours are, and you really hope that your shopping isn’t going to be left in the rain on your doorstep.
There’s also no guarantee when it comes to timing. You might get a notification to say that your parcel is out for delivery, you may not. Even when you do get notified, you have no way to know how long the delivery round is or what stage along the route you’re located. If you miss the delivery, that’s a trip to the sorting office to dig out your purchase.
This experience sucks at any time of year, but when you need to get a gift wrapped and into the post in time for Christmas, it’s unforgiveable.
Consumers are moving to click & collect for peak shopping
In this context, it’s not surprising that customers will choose home delivery markedly less often during peak. At Doddle, we see a spike in the percentage of orders using click & collect every peak, suggesting that customers see click & collect as a safer option for the most emotionally important deliveries.
Click & collect offers several key benefits for those vital peak purchases.
Customers don’t have to wait at home, and deliveries are much more likely to be made successfully.
They can return an item straight away in the store if necessary
Click & collect allows them to trip-chain (combining two things in one journey)
Collecting in store gives them alternative purchase options if they need them
For retailers, there are also a number of benefits.
The customer experience is much more in your control
Increased footfall in stores
Maximising the efficiency of stores by using them for multiple purposes
Click & collect can be completely self-service to minimise disruption to staff
So, to ensure your ecommerce sales and customer satisfaction is maximised in peak 2019, you need to make sure that your click & collect offering gives your customers a great and reassuring experience, hassle-free.
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