Online purchase plus in-store collection boosts Boots.com performance

Wednesday, May 18, 2011 - 15:56 by Simon Crisp

High street retailer Boots has seen a drastic increase in the number of customers who are using its e-commerce site to order products online and then collecting them at its retail outlets around the UK.

There are almost 2500 Boots stores in the country and most of them are now working in conjunction with the click and collect service, which lets consumers make purchases using safe shopping online and then pick up the products at their nearest Boots.

According to the latest figures, more than 40 per cent of orders placed on Boots.com are later collected in-store, rather than being delivered by a separate firm.

One of the main reasons for customers using the website to place orders is that it lets them access a much wider selection of products and quickly get goods delivered to their local shop, rather than hoping to find it in-store as standard.

Boots has been expanding its online presence over the past year, with the innovative Treat Street initiative helping to incentivise customers to shop at a range of other e-commerce sites and be rewarded with points to add to their Advantage Card accounts.

Around 16.8 million people in the UK are considered to be active Advantage Card holders, which represents a significant rise for Boots and shows how safe shopping online can improve multiple areas of a retailer's business.

Over the past year, Boots saw sales across the group increase by over 15 per cent to around £20 billion and profits were up by more than 14 per cent.

Its strong performance is partially attributed to the success of its online endeavours and while some areas of the high street are flagging, this hardy firm is being kept afloat, thanks to consumers who want to harness e-commerce to improve the shopping experience.