Omnichannel retail is on the rise as retailers strive to achieve a seamless customer experience throughout non-linear journeys.
Retailers that have become completely integrated across both their digital and physical touchpoints are able to provide customers with a consistent and connected purchase.
While consumer behaviour is getting harder to predict, there is one omnichannel application that is a clear rising trend, according to experts, click-and-collect.
E-commerce or bricks-and-mortar? According to new research conducted by ShopFully, a leading retail platform, it’s not one or the other.
Despite the e-commerce boom, there remains a deep nostalgia for in-store shopping which can be seen in the rising popularity of experiential retail.
“While it is clear that the Australian population is increasingly digital, the attachment to physical stores remains very strong,” ShopFully’s The State of Shopping report stated.
Highlighting that only 10 per cent of Australians say they have an exclusive preference for e-commerce, meanwhile, 90 per cent of Australians still prefer to shop in-store.
“Since the inception of click-and-collect, it’s been a powerful tool for retailers, as it incentivises customers to visit a business location in-person, providing the optimal opportunity for a second purchase to be made,” explained Brendan Straw, ShopFully country manager for Australia, in a statement.
Retailers have an opportunity to capitalise further on digital sales that are picked up in stores with 24 per cent of consumers taking it as an opportunity to pick up additional items, according to ShopFully.
“Its ability to generate additional in-store revenue has made it extremely advantageous for physical stores,” said Straw.
While many retailers intuitively launched or enhanced their click-and-collect services in the pandemic, consumers have continued to use the channel out of both habit and convenience.
The service has been adopted widely by Australians with 14 per cent saying they use it systematically and 56 per cent saying they use it occasionally, according to ShopFully.
Click-and-collect is a winning omnichannel strategy for consumers and retailers alike.
“Click-and-collect has offered shoppers the best of both worlds, providing both convenience and time efficiency,” stated Straw.
“However, it’s retailers who are reaping the most reward, as it allows businesses to capitalise on their digital channels to drive in-store footfall and increased sales.”
By enhancing click-and-collect services, retailers are able to bridge the gap between their digital and physical shopfronts and not isolate consumers who have strong preferences for online or offline shopping.
“Shopping behaviours are complex; 41 per cent of consumers use both offline and online channels interchangeably so retailers need to engage them with personalised content tailored to purchasing habits, using different touchpoints to support them throughout the purchasing process – from that initial purchase online via click and collect to the in-store pick-up,” outlined Straw.
Some of the most successful Australian retailers, regardless of their category, have integrated click-and-collect services into their shopping channels, including Kmart, Big W, Bras N Things, Chemist Warehouse, Cotton On, Gorman, Liquorland, Myer and Mecca.
Meanwhile, Australia’s biggest supermarkets have taken the convenience of the service one step further with Woolworths offering consumers same-day collection and Coles offering consumers rapid click-and-collect.
“Australia is leading the way in omnichannel shopping but we are still only catching up to other regions,” said Straw.
The success of click-and-collect programs by various brands makes a clear case for retailers to invest in this omnichannel experience to bring in customers who like the value of online shopping but like the traditions and habits of physical stores.
“The fusion of digital and physical shopping, and the birth of click and collect, has brought consumers this perfect blend of online ease and in-store excitement,” concluded Straw.
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