Click and collect rethink as up to 35% of consumers admit to not collecting

According to a recent study by Retail Week, a large percentage of ‘millennials’ (consumers aged 18-34) are clicking but not collecting when making purchases online. In a survey of 2,000 people, more than 35% of consumers in this age bracket admitted that they had requested a refund after failing to collect an item that they’d purchased using a click and collect service.

The in-depth study of 2,000 UK shoppers was conducted in association with delivery platform Shutl and took a close look at the expectations and habits of consumers in the UK who use a variety of services including home delivery, in order to make their purchases.

Retail Week report that these shoppers were clicking and then failing to collect for a variety of reasons including: being constrained by time, they had located something more appropriate elsewhere or simply that they had changed their mind about the purchase.

These results are indicative of the growing pressure on retailers to provide more delivery options – as we reported on the blog a few months ago, John Lewis recently revised their click-and-collect model in response to customer behaviour and other retailers need to do the same in order to be able to provide the best service to their customers whilst also maximising their returns and reducing the amount of cancellations or refunded returns.

75% of participants in the RW study said that they see delivery as a key factor, which would influence their choice of retailer when spending online. If they are making a return because they did not have time to go and collect the order or it was quicker to shop elsewhere then it makes sense for retailers to be able to offer swift delivery options – either instead of, or alongside their click and collect service. 91% of respondents also said that they preferred their deliveries to be made during specific time slots and this is something retailers should bear in mind when adapting their online offering. More food for thought in a rapidly developing retail area – which we have seen evolve rapidly in recent years. It will be interesting to see how retailers react to these findings and what is in store for these kind of services.