During the pandemic, deliveries have been soaring for essential products like groceries. Supermarkets and farmers markets have adapted to the current situation and set up click and collect services, with many stores not offering the service before. This allows more availability to customers to get food delivered or to collect it safely from them.
Supermarkets like Booths, didn’t offer a click and collect service previously, but to keep up with the demand and so customers can get groceries safely, they launched the service in April. Trials of the service have been very successful and Booth’s plan to make it a regular service.
Morrisons also launched a click and collect food box service to help NHS staff who are currently struggling to get essential groceries. They also have boxes available for their elderly and vulnerable customers, who are unable to leave their homes and must remain indoors.
These businesses took an opportunity to help their customers continue to get what they need and it has worked well. Other businesses like Argos and B&Q have also done this.
B&Q reopened some of their stores after adapting their business to meet safety precautions. In order to keep up with the increasing orders of home and garden supplies, they are delivering and also offering their click and collect service on a limited range of products. They have reduced their range to continue to give the best shopping experience possible due to the extremely high demand.
This also allows a quicker purchase than having something delivered. Deliveries have been taking a long time due to increased demand, some businesses like Homebase have delivery wait times of up to 5 weeks but by ordering through click and collect, you can pick a product up you ordered online that same week or even as soon as the next day.
But due to government rules, people should only be going to essential stores when they need to whilst getting other non-essential items delivered to their homes.
After the lockdown, people will probably remain cautious and high street stores will most likely be quiet while online stores, offering delivery and click and collect, will continue to thrive. The best way to tackle this would be to set up a click and collect service ready for that time, letting your customers know they can still access your products.
The government may enforce social distancing after the lockdown (to stop a second wave of infections), so giving customers the option to quickly collect a product they want the next day from your store is a much better option than having to walk around a store, touching items and coming into contact with more people.
The way people buy online and on the high street is changing, it was already shifting, but the current situation has forced the world to change the way we shop even more drastically, and we have now found ways for people to buy what they want much more easily and much faster, so it is important, as a business to keep up with demands and the changing times.
A click and collect service lets your customers know you are giving them options and safe ways for them to buy your products, and with everyone doing the same thing, you don’t want your competitors to be one step ahead and offering a service which you don’t.
We’re here to help if you need assistance setting your business up to support Click & Collect.
