In recent years, Click & Collect has evolved into a global trend with 40% of retailers seeing continued growth in this customer habit in 2017*. The possibility to select your items and pay online, with all the convenience it gives, without the hassle of having to wait for a delivery service, is a shopping system that appeals to a growing number of online consumers. Instead, you are given the possibility to pick up your goods on a time and location of your preference.
But until now, this omnichannel trend can often end in disappointment. Many retail environments struggle to offer a great experience to its online shoppers entering stores to collect their goods. Indeed, 53% of retailers agree that there is a disconnect between their online and instore experience*. Poor signage, lack of customer notifications and no dedicated collection areas contribute friction to the collection process. Customers can be left waiting in long lines rather than experiencing the convenience Click & Collect was designed to achieve.
The new scalable solutions for click and collect from Qmatic allows the consumer to check in at arrival either by a self-serve kiosk or mobile enabled staff member at the door who can “quick serve” their needs. This check-in further notifies back to store staff exactly who is there so that their order can be located and brought out ready for collection. The system informs the customer, through text messages or email, exactly what is happening, and can also give directions to the collection area or equivalent. When the package is ready, the Qmatic system notifies the customer.
The benefits with the Qmatic solution for click and collect are many: It gives both staff and consumers information throughout their respective journeys. Importantly, it also gives retailers a great opportunity to design their shopping environments in such a way to promote browsing whilst customer wait, transforming what is generally a passive and frustrating waiting experience to an active and pleasurable waiting experience that leads to increased sales and overall customer satisfaction.
“The Qmatic system is very scalable”, says Ellen Hartelius, product manager at Qmatic in Mölndal, Sweden. “It is possible to include customer feedback surveys and connect to digital signage amongst other things, and the fact that our systems captures rich data for every step of the journey is very valuable for many retailers.”
The UK has been a forerunner in the Click & Collect trend, and Vanessa Walmsley, MD Qmatic UK has been deeply involved in designing the new Click & Collect solution.
Vanessa emphasizes the possibilities that turn up for retailers with the Qmatic solution, as the general global trend towards online shopping does raise questions about the future of instore retail.
“Many brands have big challenges to address when it comes to their omnichannel offer and what specifically the role that the physical store will play in the future – will stores be smaller or perhaps fewer? The benefit of Click & Collect is it brings the customer back into the store. It gives a great opportunity to create new concepts like VIP-shopping and presenting high margin products around the collection area. It might be the best chance for retailers to reach the new generation of consumers.”
The new Qmatic Click & Collect Solution will be presented at the NRF trade show in New York 14-16 January 2018.
*Results from survey conducted by Vanson Bourne of 100 retailers in April 2017