Around 44% of shoppers buying online from DIY and out-of-town retailers are choosing to collect their goods rather than have them delivered.
That is one of the findings of new research commissioned by retail communications specialist Quail Digital to establish how and by whom click-and-collect is being used.

The survey also found that, of those who do collect, convenience is the main motivation for collecting, cited by 47% of respondents overall. That came considerably ahead of cost saving (17%) and not being tied to a delivery time (13%). Amongst the least important factors was the ability to buy additional items.

When arriving at the collection point, having the goods ready for collection was by far the most important criterion, with 67% of respondents rating this as their number one priority.

"Click-and-collect, or click-pay-and-collect, is very popular," said Quail Digital CEO Tom Downes, commenting on the findings, "but execution needs to be thought through. Our research shows that customers want to pick up their orders quickly and without queuing, and, ideally, have their goods loaded into their cars."

The gender breakdown in the research revealed that the traditional male stereotype of a dislike of shopping seems to be accurate, with men rating having goods ready and quick transaction with store staff as priorities, although they also rated the ability to ask questions and get advice as important.

Some female shoppers also cited cost saving and not being tied to a specific delivery time as key reasons for choosing to collect their goods.

By region, Scottish shoppers are most likely to collect their orders, with people in Northern Ireland least likely. For shoppers in the East Midlands speed of transaction is key, although they are also most likely to buy more items. People in East Anglia rate not being tied to a time slot as most important and they also appreciate designated parking. Convenience and having their cars loaded is most important to shoppers in the south east.

"Prompt collection of click-and-collect is likely to make or break the success of the service, and that needs efficient staff communication in store," Mr Downes went on. "Online ordering is about efficient fulfilment, so getting the order from storage area to customer is all-important.

"If DIY and other out-of-town retailers want to encourage more take-up of click-and-collect they could consider the drive-thru model where operators have fine-tuned fulfilment of car-bound order taking. With a combination of order points and headsets, store staff are pre-alerted to customers' arrival, with wireless headset communication maximising the prep time to expedite orders from storage areas and getting them into the hands of the customer efficiently.

"Target times for the complete fulfilment part of the service would be a good measure of success. Keeping customers engaged is simply a matter of creating a good experience and in this case that means a quick and efficient service based on good communications."

Quail Digital works with many major grocery and out-of-town retailers and restaurants including Homebase, Sainsbury's, IKEA, the Co-op, KFC, McDonald's and Starbucks.