Click and collect

With the advent of Corona, a lot of stores have adapted with a Click and Collect system. Even before Corona, the term Click and Collect was well known. But especially when stores had to close, it was a very smart solution for being able to sell products. Click & Collect quite literally means ordering online and picking up a purchase at the store. The Click and Collect process has the following steps:

• Through the website, app or order page, the customer makes an order and then clicks for "pick up
• Depending on the store, the customer can pay in advance or at pickup of the order
• After making the order, a confirmation email will be sent with the pickup appointment
• The company/store then prepares the order
• The customer picks up the order himself with the collection or payment receipt

Different Click & Collect methods 

There are several Click & Collect methods for your business. It depends entirely on what products you sell. There are 4 general software options with Click & Collect integration:

• POS system (or POS)
• E-commerce platforms (for online stores or apps)
• Independent Software in combination with POS system, social media or web shop
• Online sales platform

When you want to integrate a Click and Collect system, there are a number of things that are needed. These include an order page/website, an online payment system, an inventory system and a notification system for you and the customer. Most companies with an online platform already have these components. But with an independent Click & Collect system, this is still needed.

Advantages and disadvantages of Click & Collect 

There are several advantages for customer and seller with Click & Collect. One advantage for both customer and seller is that the customer can immediately exchange the product if necessary. In addition, in most cases there are no shipping or collection costs, which is often the case with a normal online order. Selling products is simple and fast due to clear agreements on pick-up times.

The downside is that "fun shopping" is no longer really possible. Fun shopping refers to stumbling through stores. Because customers are required to make a pick-up appointment with click & collect, the magic of fun shopping has been taken away. For vendors, it sometimes means significantly lower sales because you don't have nearly as many physical visitors and purchases as before.