Click&Collect – what is it, and how can it benefit your business?

Have you successfully adapted to customers’ growing expectations, or are you still looking for solutions that will bring something entirely new to your users’ shopping experience? One solution gaining popularity despite having been around for a while is the order collection method known as Click&Collect. Why is it worth implementing?

What is Click&Collect?

How does it all work? It’s pretty simple: C&C allows you to order products online and pick them up in person at a physical store or designated point. For many companies, this delivery form has become a key element of a consistent, mature omnichannel strategy — why? What makes customers so eager to choose Click&Collect? How does this method work, and to what extent does it impact modern businesses? Let’s find out!

How does Click&Collect work?

Click&Collect, sometimes also called “order and collect,” combines the convenience of online shopping with the ability to quickly pick up items in a physical store — quickly and often completely free of charge.

The customer orders the goods on the website or mobile app, chooses a convenient pickup point, and can usually collect them within a few hours or the next day. They don’t have to wait for a courier or pay for shipping; if the item is in stock, it can be in their hands even the same business day.

As a consumer, you have surely noticed that the Click&Collect method works particularly well in industries such as electronics, fashion, or FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods), where customers value quick access to products. For example, “pick up today” and “in-store” in the Google Shopping module below mean that you can order the product via C&C.

The operation of Click&Collect can be described in three simple steps:

1. The customer makes a purchase online.
2. They choose a pickup point for the order.
3. They collect the goods at the agreed time — often the same day.

… And that’s it. That’s all.

Why do customers like Click&Collect?

We write about C&C for a reason — experience tells us that customers have warmly embraced this form of delivery, and how Click&Collect works fits well with the modern consumer’s expectations. After all, from their perspective, it’s a lot of benefits and practically no cost. Just look:

Customers, especially those living in large cities, can order products online and pick them up conveniently. Instead of going to a parcel locker two days later, they can pop into the store (most likely the nearest shopping mall) within an hour!

Picking up in-store also means the product can be collected “on the way,” on the way home from work or grocery shopping. The consumer doesn’t have to be at home to receive the courier, but they also don’t have to search for the product on the shelf. For example, they can purchase and pay for the product while sitting on the tram, walk straight from the stop to the electronics store, provide the order code, and collect it in half a minute.

In many cases, Click&Collect does not involve additional delivery costs, so if someone wants to save on delivery and has a nearby pickup point — they will gladly use this alternative.

We think about one more thing relatively rarely, but it is fundamental for the modern consumer (yes, even the one well-versed in the internet): safety and certainty. Personal pickup gives the chance to immediately check the condition of the order and return the goods in case of any problems. No time is wasted on discussions with the courier company, nothing needs to be sent back, and no ten emails need to be exchanged — in case of any problems, the customer can handle everything on the spot.

And let’s emphasize this speed again: unlike standard courier shipments, which take several days to deliver, order pickup in the Click&Collect model is often possible the same day, even an hour or two after placing the order.

See how we managed to automate Click&Collect for one of our clients in the Cleveron case study.

Who can benefit from Click&Collect?

Consumers who come to the store to pick up their orders often decide to make additional purchases. This can increase retailers’ turnover. After all, traditional stores are still a very important sales channel!

We are also talking about reducing logistics costs, as picking up goods in-store eliminates the costs associated with home delivery. This allows companies to save on logistics, especially for smaller orders. As we know, customers are reluctant to pay for delivery, even for small orders.

Did you know that companies that implement Click&Collect gain an advantage in the eyes of customers? After all, they provide them with flexibility and convenience — we wrote about how new forms of delivery respond to growing customer needs in a separate article.