Click and collect

What it means

Click and collect is a way of shopping in which the customer orders, and often pays, online and picks the goods up in person at the retailer's shop, warehouse or collection point. It combines the convenience of an online shop with the speed of a physical store.

The customer saves postage and does not wait for a courier; the retailer saves last-mile and packaging costs. It is a typical part of an omnichannel strategy in which online and offline channels work as one.

Unlike a carrier's pickup point, the goods are collected from the retailer itself, which gains another customer contact and a chance to sell more.

How it works in practice

The key is accurate stock information for each store, so stock records must be linked to the online shop in real time. Otherwise customers turn up for goods that are not there.

If the customer pays in cash or by card at collection, the sale is recorded through the store's eKasa. With online prepayment the receipt is issued at payment and collection is merely handover.

For online sales to consumers the 14-day right of withdrawal applies even with in-store pickup if the contract was concluded at a distance. The terms of sale should say so clearly.

What to watch out for

Uncollected reservations tie up inventory and block sales to others. A pickup deadline and automatic release of stock should be set.

At handover, identity or an order code should be checked, especially for expensive goods. Handing goods to the wrong person means a loss for the retailer and a complaint from the customer.