LONDON: Click and collect is changing the way people shop, more so than even mobile, according to a new study.
The State of Retail 2016 report from retail marketing agency Live & Breathe, based on a survey of 1,009 UK consumers, found that almost one in five respondents (18.9%) believed that they had altered their usual supermarket shopping patterns over the past year because of click-and-collect options.
That was more than the proportion who felt that mobile devices were having the greatest impact – just 11.8% cited smartphones and tablets.
"Click and collect appears to be a key factor in the future of retailing, both in and out of the grocery sector," said Viv Craske, head of innovation at Live & Breathe.
"It's something that has taken some retailers a while to get right and hasn't always run smoothly, but is fast becoming an integral element of the supply chain and offering to shoppers," he added.
Around one in three (28%) said that click and collect made online retailing a better choice for them, although Marketing noted that could change as retailers start to charge for low-value click-and-collect orders.
Craske observed that consumer expectations of retailers were higher than ever and that people were becoming "quite black and white" about what they wanted.
"Retailers have tried to address the in-store experience by bringing technology on to the shop floor to try and marry the digital and offline experience, but it feels like this still isn't enough for shoppers," he said.
In reality, most shoppers want what they've always wanted – better quality products at cheaper prices were the top two areas they felt retailers should be focusing on in 2016.
And if they can get them online and delivered quickly, so much the better. Some 43% of respondents said they would shop more online if delivery within one hour was available, while 13% expressed interest in delivery by drone.
That way they could avoid some of the things they most disliked about shopping on the high street, including parking (45%), it being too busy (30%) and too expensive (29%).
The State of Retail 2016 report from retail marketing agency Live & Breathe, based on a survey of 1,009 UK consumers, found that almost one in five respondents (18.9%) believed that they had altered their usual supermarket shopping patterns over the past year because of click-and-collect options.
That was more than the proportion who felt that mobile devices were having the greatest impact – just 11.8% cited smartphones and tablets.
"Click and collect appears to be a key factor in the future of retailing, both in and out of the grocery sector," said Viv Craske, head of innovation at Live & Breathe.
"It's something that has taken some retailers a while to get right and hasn't always run smoothly, but is fast becoming an integral element of the supply chain and offering to shoppers," he added.
Around one in three (28%) said that click and collect made online retailing a better choice for them, although Marketing noted that could change as retailers start to charge for low-value click-and-collect orders.
Craske observed that consumer expectations of retailers were higher than ever and that people were becoming "quite black and white" about what they wanted.
"Retailers have tried to address the in-store experience by bringing technology on to the shop floor to try and marry the digital and offline experience, but it feels like this still isn't enough for shoppers," he said.
In reality, most shoppers want what they've always wanted – better quality products at cheaper prices were the top two areas they felt retailers should be focusing on in 2016.
And if they can get them online and delivered quickly, so much the better. Some 43% of respondents said they would shop more online if delivery within one hour was available, while 13% expressed interest in delivery by drone.
That way they could avoid some of the things they most disliked about shopping on the high street, including parking (45%), it being too busy (30%) and too expensive (29%).
Data sourced from Marketing, Retail Times; additional content by Warc staff
