Xin Ou
Research expert covering Greater China
Click and collect - statistics & facts
Click and collect, or where online and offline shopping gracefully merge, is the service enabling consumers to buy online and collect their purchases at the store or a pickup station. Roughly one in ten worldwide online orders are fulfilled via click-and-collect options, signaling the importance of flexible delivery when it comes to e-commerce purchases.
A glance at the sector ranking for the European region shows that a bigger number of books and DIY retailers drove online shoppers to their stores than fashion or electronics retailers did. Due to the perishable nature of merchandise, in-store collection options are especially relevant in the grocery sector. For instance, sales from click and collect fulfillment and home delivery almost equally contribute to the online food retail market in Sweden. In the non-food realm, consumers can choose from multiple out-of-home delivery options, from workplace to lockers or pick-up points. The role of physical stores therefore appears less crucial.
The physical store represents a solid pickup location for shoppers willing any easy and convenient checkout, especially for those consumers impatient to put their hands on their online order as quickly as possible.
Regional and segment differences
The pandemic has likely contributed to the higher availability of omnichannel collecting services in the retail industry. In 2023, roughly 78 percent of leading retailers offered click and collect in North America, surpassing the rates observed in Europe. In the UK, the click-and-collect market is on the rise. Likewise, the share of consumers opting for the omnichannel service has grown over the last years in France.A glance at the sector ranking for the European region shows that a bigger number of books and DIY retailers drove online shoppers to their stores than fashion or electronics retailers did. Due to the perishable nature of merchandise, in-store collection options are especially relevant in the grocery sector. For instance, sales from click and collect fulfillment and home delivery almost equally contribute to the online food retail market in Sweden. In the non-food realm, consumers can choose from multiple out-of-home delivery options, from workplace to lockers or pick-up points. The role of physical stores therefore appears less crucial.
Why click and collect matters
Buying online and pick-up in-store (BOPIS) ensures more flexible, faster in-store fulfillment of orders, as products are often already available in the physical stores. In some cases, retailers take just a few hours to notify their customers that orders were ready for pickup. Collecting purchases in store spares retailers and customers home delivery fees, and crucially drives customers to visit the store, which may lead them to indulge in additional shopping. In Europe, French shoppers were the easiest to nudge, with 50 percent of them purchasing additional items and another 50 percent stating to do so sometimes. Lastly, the lack of click-and-collect services hinders e-commerce conversions, with 30 percent of shoppers abandoning their shopping carts in Australia and New Zealand in 2024.The physical store represents a solid pickup location for shoppers willing any easy and convenient checkout, especially for those consumers impatient to put their hands on their online order as quickly as possible.
