With proof that it works, businesses across the globe are now finding Click and Collect an invaluable tool. The need for Click and Collect exploded during the Covid-19 pandemic, with companies forced to adapt their business model, so they could continue making sales safely while facing a national lockdown. Simply put, Click and Collect provided the perfect solution, by minimising the number of people interacting with each other, while still allowing shoppers to purchase goods. It not only offers a safe option but a quick one too, something that customers find attractive, with modern-day shoppers looking for seamlessly fast and simple ways to make their purchases. It comes as no surprise that nearly 60 per cent of people in the UK were predicted to use a Click and Collect service this year. And with Click and Collect now allowing customers to pick up their purchase in hours, let alone days, it’s easy to see why more and more businesses are choosing to head down the click and collect route. So, are you ready to take the leap?
What is Click and Collect?
In short, Click and Collect allows customers to make their purchase online, then collect it from either the store or a specific location. If a business does this well, Click and Collect provides a quick and easy alternative to in-store shopping or delivery. With many customers still enjoying the human interaction that comes with physically stepping out of the house and into a shop, Click and Collect also bridges the gap between e-commerce and in-person shopping.
The Lockdown Effect
The past 18 months have undoubtedly been some of the most challenging for the economy but what was extraordinary, was to see how businesses responded to the pandemic and the countrywide lockdown. If you didn’t introduce Click and Collect during lockdown, then surely, it’s prompted you to incorporate it into your next business strategy?
If experience has taught you anything, it should be that businesses simply cannot continue to afford to rely on footfall alone to generate sales anymore, after shops were forced to shut their doors during lockdown. After all, if you still need to pay rent, gas, electricity, and insurance – you need to be looking at alternative ways to maintain cash flow.
Remember, although the nation has come out of lockdown, the impact of coronavirus lives on. Shopping trends have changed, with more and more customers wanting to make purchases online. Not only is it a safer option but modern-day customers have got used to shopping from the comfort of their home, at the simple click of a button. As life returns to normal, it’s more important than ever for businesses to adapt to suit the virtual customer, if they want to succeed.
Making The Leap Into Click And Collect
However, as with all changes a business makes, there are a few things that need to be considered if you are preparing to take the leap into Click and Collect. As well as considering the cost implications, it is vital that you adopt a good Click and Collect model. The most efficient and seamless way to do this is to call in the professionals. Working with a website and design agency like Oxygen Graphics will save you time and mean you get the most out of Click and Collect as a tool, for your business.
Ultimately, although the pandemic is passed its peak, life is yet to return to how it was pre-coronavirus. Both shoppers and customers are looking for ways to speed up the shopping experience and introducing Click and Collect does exactly that, while providing customers with a greener and more cost-effective alternative to home delivery. Whether you’re looking at offering it alongside other delivery options, or you want to explore how weaving it into your strategy might protect your business in the case of a future lockdown, there’s never been a better time to take the leap into the world Click and Collect.
