Retailing giant Tesco is planning to have click-and-collect services in 150 stores by the end of 2012.
UK retailer Tesco is investing in its click-and-collect services as part of a one billion-pound business revival project. The innovation allows shoppers to order online and collect the goods at a location close to their home.
Ken Towle, eCommerce director at Tesco, says that the click-and-collect service relies on its simplicity and convenience. The company charges £2 for the collection service. Arriving at a delivery point, shoppers wait while their purchases are loaded into their vehicles. “What customers like is they are in control,” says Towle. “They choose when they want it to be available. It de-stresses the whole experience for them.”
In order to deal with customer queries efficiently, Tesco staff have been trained in customer service and product returns. Care must be taken to ensure that there is sufficient stock available to meet both Internet and store customers.
Ensuring that online orders are picked and packed for the customer’s chosen collection time-slot is also a challenge when offering Drive services to customers. The retailer’s store floorspace has been reduced by the new collection points. Its rival, Walmart-owned Asda, is currently running click-and-collect trials.
Internet sales accounted for 3.4 per cent of UK grocery spending last year, according to the Institute of Grocery Distribution. This online activity is expected to almost double over the next five years, says the company. Consumers are using the internet to carry out competitor price monitoring – such retail price intelligence is becoming more and more commonplace in the shopping environment.
© Profitero 2012
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