In the last decade, the way we all shop has changed. The last time you made a purchase, chances are you picked up your phone long before you grabbed your keys and left the house. Today’s shoppers like to do their research online, see what’s in stock and where, and only head to store when they’ve guaranteed they won’t come home empty handed.
Big chains have long offered the option to Buy Online Pick Up In Store (BOPIS), and now there’s an expectation among shoppers for independents to deliver the same level of convenience. Click & Collect gives potential customers all the information they’re looking for, before they even need to put their shoes on. It helps independent retailers sell more, and it keeps new customers walking through your door. Here’s how (and why) it works.
Why customers choose to collect
Shopping online and shopping in store aren’t two separate experiences anymore. For your customers, Click & Collect is the best of both worlds. They can browse and buy whenever it suits them (whether that’s on their lunch break or late on a Sunday evening) and still experience the unique touches that only come from shopping from independents.
Click & Collect is an expected part of having an impressive web offering. It’s reassuring to customers and reflects well on our business.
Eamon Barrett, Director at Altitude Ireland
They choose the product online, and then come into the store for expert advice, fittings or customizations. For the shopper it’s a seamless experience. There’s no waiting at home for a delivery, and if they need something in time for the weekend, they can order it on Thursday night and pick it up on their way home on Friday.
Here’s how it compares to shopping online only or in store only:
| What the customer gets | Click & Collect/ BOPIS | Online only | In store only |
| Browse and buy at any time | Yes | Yes | No |
| Check stock before setting out | Yes | Yes | Only by phoning ahead |
| Try for fit before taking it home | Yes | No | Yes |
| Advice from someone who knows the product | Yes | No | Yes |
| Item in hand the same day | Yes, when it’s in stock | No | Yes, if it’s on the shelf |
| A trip they know will be successful | Yes | No trip needed | NO |
What each collection brings into the store
Every collection brings someone into your shop who’s already decided to buy from you, which is a great place to start a conversation. They’ve bagged the one thing they needed online, but once they’re on your shop floor, who knows what else may catch their eye. It happens more often than you might expect: research from Capital One Shopping found that 85% of shoppers who buy online and pick up in store make an extra purchase when collecting their order.
This makes Click & Collect orders especially valuable. The extra purchases made when picking up their items lead to a higher total spend per customer. There’s no need to pack and dispatch the order either, so you’re not sacrificing margin on materials and shipping.
Potentially more valuable than the add-on sale is the chance to build a relationship. If you’ve held back from selling online because your store is built on customer experience, Click & Collect means you no longer have to choose. Once the customer is in the store, you and your team have the chance to work your magic.
A helpful tip, some specialist advice, or an offer on a future purchase can turn a one-off purchase into years of repeat custom.
Keeping your website and your shelves in step
To get Click & Collect right your website and your stockroom need to be working from the same numbers. The last thing you want is to sell an item online, only for the customer to arrive and find out the final one sold in store the day before.
If you’re thinking about how Click & Collect could work for your shop, these questions are a good place to start:
- When your website says an item is in stock, how sure are you that it’s on the shelf?
- Does a customer see whether they can collect an item on the product page, or only once they reach checkout?
- If you have more than one store, can customers see which one has the item and when it could reach the others?
- If you sell online, how much of the margin on a free-delivery order goes on postage and packing, compared with the same order collected in store?
Citrus-Lime’s Cloud POS manages stock for your shop floor and your website together, so every sale, whether it’s in store or online, updates the same stock level straight away. Customers can see what’s available on the product page as soon as they start browsing and find their nearest store with a quick postcode or ZIP code search. If an item needs to come from another store or isn’t in stock yet, they’ll see when it will be ready to collect.
FAQs
What is Click & Collect?
Click & Collect lets a customer buy an item on your website and pick it up from your store instead of waiting for a delivery. In the US it’s often called buy online, pick up in store, or BOPIS.
Is Click & Collect the same as BOPIS?
Yes. BOPIS is the more common term in the US, and Click & Collect is more common in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Curbside pickup is a variation where the order is brought out to the customer’s car.
Do I need more than one store to offer Click & Collect?
No. A single store gets the same benefits: customers can check stock before they travel and collect at a time that suits them. With more than one store, customers can also see which location has the item.
How do I make sure items are in stock when customers come to collect?
Your website needs to read from the same stock figures as your point of sale, updated with every sale in store and online. If online stock is updated by hand or in batches, there will be times when the website shows items that have already sold.
How long should I hold a Click & Collect order?
Pick a period that suits your stockroom and tell the customer what it is when the order is ready. Many specialist stores hold orders for one to two weeks, and a shorter hold can make sense for seasonal or high-demand items.
Will Click & Collect take sales away from my store?
It tends to do the opposite. The order is placed online, but the customer still comes into your shop, and that visit gives your team the chance to add to the sale. It also gives customers who might have ordered from a large online retailer a reason to buy from you.
