Click & Collect set for good times, bad times

Click & Collect sales are set to account for 13.9% of total UK online spend in 2022, 1.9 percentage points higher than in 2017, according to GlobalData.

But whilst the market is forecast to increase 55.6% over the next five years to reach £9.6 billion in 2022, growth will slow as the market matures. Sales will be impacted as retailers continue to close unprofitable stores. In addition, more retailers are investing in delivery saver schemes following the success of Amazon Prime and Asos Premier, encouraging shoppers to subscribe and save on delivery costs.

Charlotte Pearce, Retail Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Click & Collect sales will become increasingly threatened as delivery saver schemes become more widely available and retailers continue to extend their choice of fulfilment options. Retailers must ensure that their Click & Collect propositions are competitive in terms of price and/or threshold as well as speed of delivery into stores. This will help to drive footfall into stores and encourage additional spend at the retailer.”

GlobalData’s report also states that user satisfaction fell from 89.6% in 2016 to 78.4% in 2017. With more fulfilment options being offered by retailers, including same day delivery and third-party pickup via Collect+, Doddle and Amazon lockers, Click & Collect may not be the most convenient option for shoppers. Pearce adds: “Retailers which do offer Click & Collect must invest in their service to reduce pain points in the customer journey, such as long queue times. John Lewis and Zara are examples of two retailers that are trying to improve the process through the use of technology. Not only will these retailers be able to reduce queues within stores, but this will also help to free up valuable staff.”