What do Gen Z want for Click and Collect?

In Cybertill’s consumer research focused on the ever-current, ever-curious Gen Z, we found that when it came to click and collect, even though a dedicated click and collect entrance and car park may appeal to older consumers, Gen Z are not really bothered by these features, but they did tell us what they do want from retailers.

Gen Z spoke, and we listened. We were surprised that they were not telling us what retail experts and industry academics have been telling retailers for the past 5 years. They don’t want flashy gimmicks in-store, or personalised shopping experiences’ its actually quite simple, they want great customer service that is efficient, easy and pain-free. Heck! Gen Z would much rather find an item in-store themselves with self-stock check (38%) or pay for their items themselves with self-checkout (35%) than have to wait for shop assistants. This is the “instant generation” after all…

Gen Z are all about the information, with the internet at their fingertips this group of consumers can be more informed than ever before, and they want to retailers to provide clear and precise information straight to their mobiles on their orders. At the top of the list for Gen Z is real-time updates via text message, email or push notification so that they know exactly when they can pick their item up.

“Gen Z are sceptical, blunt, and impatient due to being raised in an environment of information transparency and dominated by technologies that offer instant gratification” (Bolton, 2013)

Retailers should ensure that they are still providing a quality experience for Gen Z even though they are not shopping in-store. 57% of Gen Z want their click and collect item to be packaged appropriately, i.e. a luxury item in good quality branded packaging and not unnecessarily large packaging depending on the item. It’s important to note that Gen Z are very eco-conscious and will be annoyed if retailers over-package items. As explained in Forbes, Gen Z have a shared desire to make a positive impact on the world and are passionate about environmental causes.

Earlier this year, Zara unveiled its first digital store in London, which alongside the usual departments, also houses a dedicated online area of the store for the purchase and collection of online orders, with automated online order collection points. The Spanish retailer’s target market is “young, price-conscious, and highly sensitive to the latest fashion trends” (Harbott) aka Gen Z. The digital store concept may resonate with Gen Z, our research found that this tech-savvy generation want a dedicated click and collect till or area, i.e. a till separate from the main checkout till when collecting click and collect in-store. Once more, 46% of Gen Z shared that they feel very frustrated when they realise they have been queuing in the wrong place to collect their order.

There is often a misconception with Gen Z that they merely shop online on their mobiles, however this is not the case. According to the National Retail Federation and IBM, 98% of Gen Z consumers buy in-store some or most of the time (Forbes, 2018). Gen Z shared with us that they often get frustrated when there is no WiFi in-store or if they are unable to retrieve the order confirmation due to poor mobile phone service in-store when picking up their click and collect order.

Retailers can really ace click and collect for Gen Z if they remember these 4 things:

1. Don’t waste their time – Provide clear and concise order information about when they can pick up their item.
2. Create a separate Click and Collect Point – Have a till or area that is specifically for Gen Z to pick up their order, don’t let them queue at your main till and waste their time.
3. Be considerate with your packaging – No ones hates waste more than Gen Z, its also doing your bit for the environment if you make these small changes and reduce your packaging waste.
4. Cater to their in-store phone use – Have WiFi readily available so that Gen Z can retrieve their order confirmation.