Click and Collect - A Guide for Retail Businesses?

This phenomenon combines in-store and online experiences. Click and collect is gaining in popularity among big companies like Walmart, Target, and lots more. Statistics have it that click and collect in the United States increased to 60.4% in 2020 compared to the previous year.

Click & collect have been in use pre-COVID era. And during the COVID era, individuals and businesses have discovered how relevant this powerful omnichannel strategy is. One thing is certain; it’s not going anytime soon. To avoid missing out on this retail trend, we took it upon ourselves to provide you with a detailed guide on how to go about it.

This post will discuss the click and collect definition and how it can help your retail business.

What is Click and Collect?

You might wonder “What is click and collect?”

Well, this is simple! Click & collect is used to describe a situation whereby a customer or consumer purchases a product online and then picks it up in a store or other pickup location. This is also referred to as Buy Online, Pick in Store (BOPIS). Additionally, this hybrid system merges both online and offline experiences to create seamless customer satisfaction.

Why you should consider Click and Collect for your business

There are tons of reasons why you should consider click and collect for your retail business. This is a great business strategy, and customers love it - an important reason you should implement a click & collect shop. Here are some other reasons you should consider.

1. Convenience

When customers purchase products via a click and collect shop, they are sure that the item will be readily available at the pickup location. As a retailer, you should capitalize on the convenience factor by making the pickup process as fast as possible. No one likes stress, not even you!

1. No shipping fee

Another reason why you should consider click and collect is that it comes without any shipping fee. You heard that right! Neither you nor the customer will need to pay any shipping fee. Most times, online shoppers usually abandon their carts due to the high rate of shipping fees. By implementing click and collect, you will close more sales deals and reduce abandoned carts.

1. Avoid shipping delays

The use of click and collect will also eliminate shipping delays. Sometimes, customers might need their goods urgently for a party or event, and home delivery might not be the best option. Click and collect is a better alternative. Aside from that, picking your items from the store will reduce the cases of stolen or lost packages.

1. Drive more traffic to your physical store

As a retailer, you will get the best of both worlds - Ecommerce and in-store shopping. This will drive more traffic to your local store, increasing upsell opportunities (a situation whereby a customer is encouraged to purchase a more expensive alternative to the one in question).

1. Reduces Your Ecommerce Return

Adopting click and collect will reduce your eCommerce return. Customers can try out their goods before leaving your store. If they are not satisfied with the product or the item is not their size, they can easily swap it for the right one. This is one of the advantages of in-store pickup over online delivery. Let’s give a scenario for better understanding.

David bought a jacket from an online store and opt-in for home delivery. Unfortunately, when the item arrived, it was too small. Now David is busy, and his initial intent has diminished. When he eventually gets time, he decides to return the jacket in return for his money.

On the other hand, Alexandra visits the same store and buys a jacket. But instead of home delivery, he opts for Click and Collect. On getting to the pickup store, he tried the jacket on, and it wasn’t his fit.

Fortunately, a store assistant was around to suggest an alternative and a pair of nice sneakers to go with. Alexandra was happy, he left with the jacket and sneakers, and there was no need for a refund.

That is the beauty of click & collect. Customers will enjoy the comfort of shopping online and the confidence of an offline store.

Setting up an ordered store for your retail business: what are the options?

Starting an online store is easy. As a retailer, here are some ways you can take orders online.

1. Build an eCommerce website

Having your eCommerce website is an excellent way to run a click and collect shop. A well-designed eCommerce site will include all the major four processes - customer notifications, payment, online orders, and inventory management.

Before you start building your eCommerce website, first decide whether you want a hosted or self-hosted eCommerce solution. However, this depends on your budget, skills, and developmental needs.

A hosted eCommerce solution is a type that lets you host your online store for a certain fee - may be monthly or yearly. On the other hand, a self-hosted eCommerce solution is an open-source eCommerce application. You can choose your desired hosting provider, then build your store to fit your taste. An example of an eCommerce site is displayed below.

1. Add an eCommerce plugin to your existing website

If you have an existing website, then there is no need to build another one. An online ordering system for small businesses can be created with the use of eCommerce plugins - very easy!. Some of the popular eCommerce plugins that you can consider include WooCommerce. These plugins are free and offer you lots of control and flexibility, so you can decide what features to add to your site. One downside is that it requires a lot of technical skills. Some of the top eCommerce plugins include Magento, WooCommerce, OpenCart, and lots more.

1. Add a third-party marketplace or app

You can also subscribe to a third-party application. For example, if you run an online restaurant, you can consider third-party apps likePostmates, UberEats, and lots more. These apps will charge a commission on every sale completed via the app. One benefit of using an app is you won’t be responsible for managing, notification, billing, and delivery. This makes it an easy way for you to collect orders for your restaurant.

1. Email and phone call

Having an online store depends on the size of your retail business. You can decide to forgo all these sophisticated systems discussed earlier and go old school - email and phone use.

Your customers can call you directly over the phone to place their orders. Payment can be validated via phone call. Additionally, you can display the images of the items on a static website for your client to see.

How to enable click and collect?

Here are the necessary steps you need to take if you want to set up click and collect.

1. First, you need to build your online store. If you don’t know how to code, Strikingly has a series of awesome templates that you can use to build an online store.
2. You should ensure that all stocks added to your product page are correct. It won’t be nice if a customer clicks an item on your page and it’s not available at your pickup store.
3. You should outline your click & collect process from start to finish. Map out your click and collect journey. Use these questions as a guide:

• When a customer clicks on an item, how fast can it be available for pickup?
• Who will be in charge of getting the order ready?
• How will you notify the customer that their package is ready for pickup? What information will you need?
• Where will the items be stored? And will you offer curbside pickup?
• What form of identification will the customer bring to claim their package?
• How will you update the system once the item has been collected?

1. Enable click and collect as a delivery method.
2. Let the customer know what to expect when checking out.
3. Get a space where orders can be kept before pickup.
4. Ensure the pickup location is clearly marked so that customers can easily find their way around the store.
5. Get yourself ready for curbside pickup and train your team members.

How to create your online eCommerce with Strikingly?

Creating an online store or eCommerce website is one of the best ways to start a click and collect shop. Even if you don’t know how to code, Strikingly website building platform can help you to build your online store from scratch without stress. Follow these steps to get started with your eCommerce site.

• Open an account: The first thing you need to do is create a free account with us at Strikingly.
• Select a template: Once you have registered your account, you can select the template that interests you. There are tons of them to choose from. These include personal, business, company, services, store, and lots more. But since you are about to build an eCommerce website, you need a store template to start.

Image shot from Strikingly

Below are some templates from Strikingly that you can consider for your online store:

Image from Strikingly user's website

• Add a Store: Once you have selected a template, you can edit it to your taste. The next thing you should do is to add a store by clicking the “Add Store” button. Check out the image below.

Image shot from Strikingly

• After that, you can now add products to your online store. Here, you should upload real images of your products. While adding images, don’t forget to include product description, payment option, shipping, and pricing information.
• Once you are done adding your products, you can go live by publishing the website.
• You can go pro to gain access to benefits.

Strikingly is one of the best online store building platforms that you can use to create your online store. In fact, you don’t need any coding experience to get this done. And like we have explained in the section above, you can build your online store with Strikingly, and it will be up and running in no time. Ready to launch your online store? Create an account with Strikingly today!