Click and Collect to close convenience gap in 2018?

While Click and Collect services for non-food products continue to grow, adoption in food and grocery has been slower, but innovative initiatives could be about to change that, according to Savvy research involving 1,000 people.

In large part the sluggish pace is due to the wide availability of cheap delivery and the lack of easily accessible collection points. Around a fifth of shoppers have used Click and Collect to buy food during the past year and this could be boosted by a Sainsbury’s trial of its Chop Chop service which allows people to buy up to 25 items using an app. The order will be available to collect from their local convenience store within half an hour. 49% of shoppers find this type of service appealing. 

Elsewhere, Amazon has announced a US trial of Amazon Instant Pick-up. This allows shoppers to purchase items using a smartphone app, which are then available for collection from a pickup location within minutes. 63% of those surveyed would trial this service if it was available. “So far, Click and Collect has not been convenient enough to compete with home delivery in grocery. New business models, however, have the potential to close the convenience gap in 2018,” says Savvy, adding that, “in non-food, Click and Collect is set to benefit from innovations that have the ability to increase the number of collection points and improve convenience.”