Bell and Howell Releases Study on Retail Click and Collect Consumer Preferences

More customers buy online and pick up in store, make impulse purchases on-site

Durham, N.C., May 15, 2017 – During the 2016 holiday season, nearly a third of shoppers purchased products online and subsequently picked them up at a store. This practice – known as “click and collect” or “buy online pick up in store” (BOPUS) – is the subject of a new study conducted by Bell and Howell. The “2017 Click and Collect Retail Consumer Preference Study” reveals consumers’ preferences and behaviors when it comes to this practice.

As part of the study, Bell and Howell randomly selected more than 530 consumers from across the United States to report on their click-and-collect experiences. Among other things, the study was designed to understand the prevalence of consumers’ use of click and collect. Furthermore, participants also shared what’s important to them during a click-and-collect experience.

Key Findings

• More than 70 percent of respondents identified themselves as experienced click-and-collect shoppers (i.e., had used this option in the previous 12 months).
• When asked to select the most important attribute of a click-and-collect experience, respondents replied with the following:
  • Quick in-and-out experience – 56 percent
  • No waiting in line – 22 percent
  • Ease of locating pickup location – 14 percent
  • Dedicated pickup counter – 9 percent
  • Designated parking spots – 5 percent
• Saving on shipping charges was the key driver (76 percent) when selecting click and collect. However, needing the item that day (54 percent) and proximity to another store the respondents were going to (50 percent) were also important.
• Speed was once again the consistent theme, as 83 percent expected to hear back within 24 hours after placing an order online that their item is ready for pickup. Nearly 60 percent expected to hear within the first four hours.
• When asked where they preferred to pick up their purchases, 56 percent indicated inside at the front of the store, 21 percent preferred curbside pickup, and only eight percent selected the back of the store.
• Eighty percent expected to be able to pick up their item in under 10 minutes from the time they enter the store, with 27 percent expecting it to be less than four minutes.
• Of note to retailers, 49 percent of respondents said they were likely to purchase an additional item some of the time when picking up their online order.

When asked to rate specific attributes of an excellent click-and-collect experience, respondents gave their highest marks to the following:

1. Filling the order accurately and in time
2. Items ready at the pickup counter
3. Store associates know how to process orders quickly
4. Clear signage for pickup location
5. Dedicated pickup counter

“Currently, a small portion of total purchases are completed through click and collect, but it is growing in use, with 49 percent of Americans trying it for the first time in 2016,” said Bell and Howell Senior Director Haroon Abbu, Ph.D., who led this research. “Implementing click and collect makes sense for retailers, as they are providing a service that is increasing in popularity, and that can help drive more impulse purchases when customers pick up their items. However, retailers should focus on creating a winning in-store experience by enabling what matters most to click-and-collect consumers: speed, convenience and timely communication.”

To learn more about Bell and Howell, visit bellhowell.net, call 1-800-220-3030, or follow the company on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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About Bell and Howell

Bell and Howell is shaping the future of mail and commerce. We deliver innovative service and technology solutions that enrich customer communications and fulfillment for the world’s largest finance, industry and public sector enterprises. Our software and hardware streamlines high-volume, high-integrity production of customer communications and products, maximizes postal discounts, and monetizes every customer touchpoint. Our service organization is among the most sophisticated in the world for production workflow, automation and industrial mechatronics. Headquartered in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, with offices around the world, Bell and Howell is the trusted partner to thousands of organizations globally. For additional information, visit www.bellhowell.net.