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Click and collect services grow in popularity

Monday, January 7, 2013 - 11:10 by Simon Crisp

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Various analysts were predicting that the Christmas shopping period would be big for retailers in 2012, with a particular emphasis being put on the use of click and collect services, which combine both convenient, safe shopping online and high street immediacy.

Now Sky News reports that a spokesperson for Deloitte has confirmed that this was indeed a major trend over the festive season, helping e-commerce sales to increase by 17 per cent, year on year.

This is in part due to the increased use of smartphone devices to access retail services, according to the analyst. Major brands are not only benefiting from sales made over m-commerce, but the wider influence that portable handsets are having on consumer habits.

The internet access which is provided by smartphones means that consumers can do all sorts of things with them, from comparing the prices of products at different retailers to arranging for a click and collect service, so that they can pick up an item at their nearest store whenever is most convenient.

This multichannel approach which is made possible thanks to smartphones and tablets may be difficult to pin down with exact figures for sales, but it is difficult to argue against the idea that it is having a major influence on safe shopping online, as well as the high street.

Various retailers have been announcing big increases in online sales over Christmas 2012. Next said it saw an 11.2 per cent jump in this area, while supermarket chain, Waitrose, said that its online sales rose by 37 per cent between November 2012 and December 24th.

Analysts seem somewhat divided over what the market will hold for retailers in 2013, but e-commerce and m-commerce are certain to grow, even if high street sales remain sluggish.