Today’s customers are spoiled for choice: they can access virtually any product from any location, not to mention, all kinds of discounts and shipping arrangements. Despite the growth of eCommerce, brick-and-mortar retail continues to offer advantages, particularly for customers who prefer in-person pickup over waiting for shipping.
A valuable solution allows customers to enjoy the best of both worlds: the ease of online shopping plus the convenience of pickup. There’s no need to wander store aisles and no risk of learning items are out of stock after making the trip. Known as click and collect, this has become a major component of modern retail fulfillment.
What Is Click and Collect?
Click and collect pairs the convenience of online shopping with the immediacy of brick-and-mortar shopping. From the customer’s perspective, this approach is simple: purchase items online and then travel to a store or other designated location to pick them up in person. Although some pickups happen inside the store, this is also the concept at the heart of curbside pickup.
Click and collect is also commonly referred to as buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS). This term describes a fulfillment strategy that incorporates both digital and physical retail channels — one that places the consumer in the driver’s seat.
While innovative retailers have dabbled with curbside options for years, click and collect exploded in popularity during the COVID pandemic. At the time, customers weren’t always willing to wait for shipping but also worried about potential exposure if they shopped in physical stores.
Click and collect offered an alternative that helped shoppers feel safe, but it didn’t end with the pandemic. Today, consumers continue to take advantage of this approach because they appreciate its convenience.
How Does Click and Collect Work in Practice?
While satisfied customers view click and collect as straightforward, this actually requires an intricate series of technologies and workflows, carefully coordinated to synchronize inventory and online ordering.
- Browse & purchase online. Customers begin the click and collect process much like any online shopping experience: they head to a retailer’s website and view products of interest. Behind the scenes, accurate, real-time inventory management ensures that item availability is synchronized across digital and physical channels, allowing the website to confirm whether products are in stock at the customer’s selected location. Typical eCommerce priorities still apply: accurate product descriptions and secure payment processing.
- Choose pickup location/time. As customers complete online purchases, they are presented with a variety of checkout options, including the opportunity to pick up items at their location of choice. Many businesses also encourage customers to choose a specific time or window of time to show up at the store, as this expedites the pickup process. Retailers must confirm that desired products are available at preferred locations while also providing realistic pickup options based on current staffing.
- Fulfill & notify customer. Once orders are placed online, customers should receive email or text-based confirmations, including details about when and where to pick up their purchases. From there, they simply wait for the approved time or to receive additional information. This step triggers fulfillment action behind the scenes. Employees can use picking lists or even devices featuring optimized pick paths. Additional updates are provided as employees find requested products and bring them to staging areas.
- In-store or designated pickup handoff. When orders are ready, customers arrive at the designated pickup area, providing confirmation as needed via email or mobile app. Curbside options allow customers to stay in their vehicles, while in-store pickups send them to easily located counters or zones. Retailers verify orders and track pickups, with intelligent solutions using metrics to reveal how these processes can improve moving forward.
Why Is the Click and Collect Method Becoming a Retail Standard?
Click and collect brings noteworthy benefits to the consumer and the retailer. Advantages include convenience, efficiency, and accuracy, but the real advantage (from the consumer’s perspective) involves control. Customers want to make their own choices while still receiving guidance. Click and collect offers both in spades. Core factors driving adoption include:
Speed and Cost Pressures Are Driving Adoption
Last-mile delivery drives up shipping costs because it is inherently fragmented and labor-intensive. Click and collect offers the chance to reduce last-mile costs by putting customers in the lead during the final handoff. Routing challenges diminish as retailers fulfill orders at local stores rather than dealing with complex distribution networks.
Inventory Visibility Is Now Non-Negotiable
The push for increased inventory visibility has fueled impressive technological advancements that help retailers track products across numerous channels and locations. Improved visibility yields benefits across fulfillment paths, but these benefits are especially significant given the sheer complexity of the click and collect concept.
Today’s cloud-connected point-of-sale (POS) systems, for example, offer immediate inventory updates. Retailers can also use radio frequency identification (RFID) to track items. Meanwhile, advanced eCommerce platforms promptly update product pages and even provide store-specific information that ultimately supports in-store fulfillment.
Shoppers Expect Flexible Pickup Options
Today’s shoppers want it all: fast, low-cost shipments and accurate order fulfillment. These expectations are difficult to fulfill when exclusively reliant on traditional shipping; everything from traffic to weather can get in the way, even when last-mile networks are well-organized. Click and collect removes this burden, sending orders directly to stores that already have desired products on shelves.
Shoppers still enjoy the opportunity to have products shipped or even browse within connected stores. Click and collect simply adds another welcome option. This makes customers feel in control of their experience.
Stores Are Becoming Fulfillment Hubs Again
Brick-and-mortar locations are far from relics; while the early days of eCommerce centered around direct-to-home shipments, it has since become clear that customers still want physical touchpoints. Many still prefer day-of pickups, which can be difficult to facilitate through traditional ecommerce. With click and collect, however, the brick-and-mortar store remains a critical space, acting as a fulfillment hub.
What Are the Benefits of Click and Collect for Retail Businesses?
Customers find BOPIS convenient or even empowering, but retailers also stand to benefit. As we’ve discussed, this approach alleviates the pressures of expedited shipping and last-mile deliveries. This can have profound impacts on operational flows and even scalability, boosting both predictability and agility.
- Operational efficiency. Click and collect streamlines fulfillment by eliminating the need to route each and every order through warehouses. This limits hand-offs and other time-consuming steps, keeping both teams and products moving efficiently.
- Cost control and margin protection. Shipping is inherently expensive for retailers, and, while many retailers strive to consolidate shipments or negotiate carrier rates, shipping continues to eat into profit margins. Click and collect sidesteps all that, shifting the cost burden of last-mile delivery.
- Omnichannel cohesion. In an omnichannel era, retailers strive for connected touchpoints that deliver seamless experiences. This option supports this phygital revolution, providing a clear link between online browsing and store-based fulfillment.
- Customer loyalty. Customers appreciate the convenience of click and collect but also enjoy feeling empowered to direct their own online shopping experience. Many will happily return to retailers that offer multiple fulfillment options.
Implementing a Successful Click and Collect Strategy
The powerful benefits of buying online and picking up in-store can only be realized through sophisticated technological integrations. This system relies on inventory visibility and real-time updates. Successful implementation must include:
- Displaying inventory availability. Customers should know where items are available before they complete online purchases. Provide inventory availability details, highlighting where specific items are in stock so customers can choose pickup locations accordingly. Use store locator tools to make decision-making even easier.
- Providing automated status updates. Use email or SMS to alert customers not only when their orders are ready, but also as these orders are confirmed and when they’re being prepared. Shoppers like knowing order status, but updates also improve the odds that customers will show up on time.
- Organizing in-store pickup zones. Guide customers through stores or parking lots, using bold signs to designate where they will receive their orders. Pickup areas should be easily accessible, limiting time spent navigating stores or parking areas. These zones should be clearly distinguished from customer service areas. They should also feel clean and organized.
- Tracking metrics and customer feedback. Even well-implemented click and collect solutions hold room for improvement. Continue to refine operations by drawing consumer feedback or fulfillment metrics.
How Software Can Power Faster, More Reliable Fulfillment
Real-time tracking enables accurate inventory visibility and coordinated fulfillment workflows. Customers receive prompt notifications, so they know exactly when and where to pick up their orders. This integrated approach eliminates guesswork and avoids delays. Shoppers gain confidence and retailers avoid last-minute home delivery challenges or expenses.
Embrace the advantages of click and collect with Peak Technologies’ M-Netics Retail Software suite. Built to support real-time inventory visibility, streamlined picking workflows, and accurate handoffs, the platform helps retailers execute reliable omnichannel fulfillment at scale. M-Netics offers easy implementation with straightforward integrations that accommodate existing processes.
Look to Peak Technologies for guidance as you make the shift to offering click and collect capabilities. Reach out to learn more about our click and collect solutions or other features within the M-Netics Retail Software suite.
Sources
- https://www.emarketer.com/content/faq-on-last-mile-delivery–how-final-step-of-fulfillment-will-take-shape-2026
- https://ccianet.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/offerings-20220125-insightiq-ccia-consumer-preferences-embrace-a-mix-of-physical-and-digital.pdf
- https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/email/rethink/2024/11/2024-11-13d.html
- https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/Retail/Our%20Insights/retail%20speaks%20seven%20imperatives%20for%20the%20industry/retail-speaks-full-report.pdf
