Face of Nation : Online shoppers short on time failed to take home around £228m worth of click-and-collect goods over the past year, according to new research.
Barclaycard and French sports equipment retailer Decathlon commissioned a survey of 2,000 adult shoppers in July, and 15% of respondents who had chosen the click-and-collect option admitted to not going on to collect their goods in-store.
It said more than 70% of shoppers in the UK chose click and collect, selecting the option twice a month on average. But a third of shoppers who failed to pick up their items from the retailer after choosing the option did so because the process was a “hassle” and they preferred to wait for a refund before reordering the goods via home delivery.
Long waiting times and poorly-staffed collection points were cited as disincentives by a quarter of non-pickup customers in both cases, while 15% of customers resented paying for the privilege of picking up their own goods from the shops.
Tellingly, the research found that in today’s experience-driven economy, more than half of of shoppers want retailers to offer special rewards and experiences to click-and-collect customers. The trend will worry retailers who have been working under the impression that click-and-collect serves as a means of encouraging shoppers to leave their laptops and visit stores.
With the high street struggling to cope with rising taxes, the economic downturn and online-only rivals, 72% of retailers said they see click-and-collect as a “viable solution” to driving shoppers back into stores.
The research surveyed 250 UK high street retailers with more than 50 staff, and despite 90% of respondent stores saying it is the “fastest growing” delivery option, only 30% of shoppers appear to collect their parcels after choosing that option. However, nearly 40% of respondents also said they would visit shops more often if the process was improved.
Kirsty Morris, director at Barclaycard Payment Solutions, said: “Brands have the opportunity to not only increase the number of shoppers through their doors but also to reduce costs and returns, while generating revenue from ‘click and collectors’ purchasing additional items in-store. “Enhancing the click and collect experience is a potentially lucrative way for retailers to ward off the unprecedented challenges of the high street and bridge the gap between online and in-store shopping.”
About 89% said footfall has increased since offering the service, but there is agreement more needs to be done, and companies should be creative. The research was commissioned ahead of Decathlon testing a new way for shoppers to collect goods by creating a “microclimate” in its Surrey Quays store with Barclaycard, in which shoppers can try out hiking products in conditions more akin to a windy mountainside than a warm shopping centre.
