At the recent STAG Buying Show Cybertill surveyed the STAG members (who are Independent Sports and Outdoor Retailers) about their attitudes to ‘click and collect’ and if they use it in their business.
Just over 60% of retailers surveyed have multi-channel operations, yet only 12% of the respondents currently offer Click and Collect. The overwhelming reason why independent sports retailers don’t currently offer click and collect is the lack of technology that can enable and manage the service.
However the vast majority questioned saw it as a positive service and there were very few dissenting voices on the benefits. Only 5% of respondents are not planning to offer it in the future and that was driven by underlying business reasons, such as being located in a rural location. Those retailers that offered click and collect were split it on its actual effects on sales. Fifty per cent said it did not increase sales with the other half claiming it did have a positive impact.
Retailers are very clear about the benefits of click and collect for the consumer, with 9 out of every 10 believing the main plus for the consumer is convenience. The responses for retail benefits were more diverse: the top three answers were increase in sales, opportunity to upsell other products when in store and finally reduced posting costs when fulfilling online orders.
A report earlier this year, by Verdict Retail, stated ‘Click and collect’ purchases are set to grow by more than two thirds, and will be worth over £4bn by 2018, highlighting what a growing service this is for retailers. Although perhaps more importantly it demonstrates that it is a service consumers both want and value. Ian Tomlinson, CEO of Cybertill, commented. “Today retailers need to be multi-channel, and an essential element of that is ‘click and collect’, as this is where the bulk of retail is growing. Retailers need to invest in multi-channel technology that enables these services and makes managing multiple sales channels straight forward and more efficient whilst giving their customers an improved service.”
