eCommerce Expo: Primark hails Click and Collect ‘revolution’ and low stock holding model

“Just a few years ago, we had almost no online presence,” Andy Furlong, Senior E-commerce Trading Manager at Primark, told delegates at eCommerce Expo, which took place last week at London Excel.

The retailer launched a limited trial of its Click and Collect service in 2022, but has since rolled the offer out to all 187 of its stores in Great Britain and more than 5,000 products.

After initially committing to only selling online products that were not already available in 75% of its stores, Furlong explained that it did limit the success of the trial at first. “Those items drive the most sales,” he said.

Since rolling the offer out to all stores, and adding its most popular category, womenswear, it has seen sales increase. “We’re starting to build confidence,” Furlong added, noting a 50% increase in traffic to the Primark website. 

Furlong added that the retailer was always clear that it did not want to simply swap in-store sales for online, due to the complexities and expense this would add. “We really wanted something that would support our stores, and not compete with them,” he added. 

However, he admitted it had been losing out to competitors over its previous refusal to move online, particularly with younger consumers who increasingly focus on online purchases.  

“We are a firm believer in the high street,” Furlong explained. “We want to do everything we can to protect that experience.” 

Click and Collect made sense for Primark in Great Britain, given its large number of stores, although he added that this may not be true for other markets, should the retailer decide to expand the offer overseas, which is a possibility.

Primark is now looking at adding clearance products to its online range, “hopefully by the end of October”, as well as expanding the range available. It currently sells 6,000 products online, compared to around 9,000 in its stores but it hopes to have the full range available online within two years.

Now that all stores are onboard, Primark is also now actively promoting its Click and Collect offer in all marketing campaigns, with all products marketed now available to collect at all of its 187 stores.

Alongside its “Click and Collect revolution”, Furlong shared that Primark is also planning to transition toward a low-stock holding model, which reduces the risk of needing to put products on clearance and makes it easier to capitalise on popular items.  

Furlong also noted that Primark will be launching its mobile app in the UK “very soon”, building on go lives in Italy and Ireland.

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Click and Collect will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards. which are now closed for entries with our finalists and shortlists being announced last week, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.