John Lewis develops hybrid e-commerce delivery solution

29 June 2012 - 11:05

Department store chain John Lewis is attempting to innovate in the world of safe shopping online, taking the lead from the growing 'click and collect' culture, but making it convenient for customers irrespective of their location.

There are a number of major retailers who offer click and collect to consumers, essentially allowing them to purchase a product online and then head to their nearest store to pick it up on the same day, providing it is in stock.

However, if you live a long distance from the nearest John Lewis, then this might not be an ideal solution.

In order to combat this issue, John Lewis is now going to allow customers to collect products they have purchased via safe shopping online from a third party store, which is local to them.

This might mean that you can get your John Lewis packages from the nearest corner shop or post office, as part of the scheme.

This will ultimately be a bonus for those who cannot reasonably stay at home all day when they are expecting an e-commerce package to be delivered, allowing them to pick up the parcel whenever they have the time.

Of course, same day collection will not be possible via this method, but it does mean that almost anyone in the UK will be able to purchase something from John Lewis' e-commerce outlet and receive it in as convenient a manner as possible.

Spokesperson, Andy Street, said that by the end of the decade, you could see major chains shrinking down to just 70 flagship stores, while providing nationwide services to customers, thanks to online shopping.

If retailers will no longer need hundreds and hundreds of bricks and mortar outlets across the UK, then the high street could look quite different by 2020.