Click and collect is becoming a standard option for online shoppers. A majority (54 percent) of the top thousand European online retailers offer a pick-up option, enhancing their appeal to shoppers.
This is reported by the British industry publication Internet Retailing, based on the RetailX Europe Top1000 360° report. This report lists a thousand ecommerce and multichannel retailers who demonstrate strong sales performance and expertly respond to customer preferences. There is no single leader on the list; instead, the retailers are categorized into groups. The leading group includes eleven names: Argos, Asics, bol, Carrefour, Decathlon, Douglas, H&M, Hugo Boss, Ikea, Sainsbury’s, and Zalando.
Click & collect
RetailX, a spin-off of Internet Retailing, analyzed how the thousand retailers on the list offer flexible collection and return services that align with customer demand. Over half (54 percent) of retailers provide customers with the option to pick up their online order. This service is most frequently available when selling to the UK (58 percent) and Luxembourg (56 percent), whereas fewer retailers offer it when selling to Liechtenstein (6 percent) or Malta (17 percent).
Pick-up by product category
RetailX also investigated the availability of pick-up options across various product categories. Findings show that click and collect is most prevalent for book orders (68 percent), DIY items (62 percent), and groceries (58 percent). In contrast, the availability for fashion orders remains under half (49 percent).
Click & collect is most common for books.
In total, 13 percent of the thousand retailers offer pick-up via parcel lockers, accounting for less than a quarter of all companies that provide click and collect. This option is more commonly found when selling to Poland (31 percent), where automated parcel machines have quickly become popular, and Romania (20 percent). Major couriers like DHL and GLS have been investing in expanding parcel lockers for years.
Same-day collection
Of the top thousand European retailers, 9 percent offer same-day collection, according to RetailX data. This rapid service is most frequently available from retailers selling to Sweden (12 percent) and Romania (11 percent).
