The second containment regulation, linked to the Covid19 epidemic in France, authorizes in-store collection of orders previously placed online. Note that this does not mean picking up your parcel at a "point relais", but rather at a point of sale belonging to the retailer from which you made your purchase. This "click-and-collect" practice is set to grow and, we all hope, will help retailers to minimize the effects of this crisis.
Your e-commerce site doesn't offer it yet? We can help you step by step:
STEP 1: What's the point of click-and-collect?
As e-commerce specialists since 2001, the Soledis teams recommend click-and-collect for 3 main reasons:
- Saving time and money for the customer - and no loss for you!
Customers save on delivery costs and the time it takes to get their product to the relay point. For them, it's often just as easy to come into the store as it is to go to a relay point. If your customer base is geographically concentrated around your point(s) of sale, it's in your interest to develop click-and-collect as a way of growing your business.
- Complementarity between online and in-store sales
Your e-commerce activity will create a flow in-store. During periods of confinement, this won't generate additional sales, but it will create an initial customer contact. When they come to pick up their purchase, they'll have located your physical store and seen your storefront and other products. They may have asked the sales assistant for advice, seen a display or picked up some paper documentation...
- The ability to add a physical service to an online purchase
For certain products, click-and-collect complements the convenience of an online purchase with the advantages of an in-store purchase: fitting, personalization, specific payment methods, advice on use from the sales assistant...
As you can see, click-and-collect requires that you have at least one physical point of sale, and that you don't completely shut down your in-store reception despite this confined environment. Let's take a closer look at the logistical and technical changes involved in implementing click-and-collect.
STEP 2: What happens in the front office, on the customer side?
How will your customer journey evolve to integrate this new click-and-collect functionality?
When choosing a product, the customer can choose between adding it to the shopping cart or "seeing the availability of the product in their favorite store". This displays a list of stores in the chain (ideally in a dual display of list and map), with the option of searching for the store closest to their location: search bar and/or geolocation. To limit the number of clicks, the product's availability should be displayed either as a number: the number of items remaining in the store, or as a pictogram or "available" label. Rather than putting it in the shopping basket, the customer will "reserve" a copy in the selected store.
NB: Until the product is chosen, the customer will see no change in the customer path planned by your site. It may therefore be necessary to announce the introduction of this new service on the home page, in the form of a news item! And don't forget to display it in front of your physical store to encourage passers-by and regulars to find you online, and to communicate on social networks!
STEP 3: What happens in the back office, on the store side and on the e-commerce site side?
What are the prerequisites for installing click-and-collect functionality on my e-commerce site?
1/ Optimal inventory management
To be able to offer your customers this new in-store pick-up option, you need to know exactly what you have in stock, product by product and store by store. This data must be updated in real time for each sale, whether the sale takes place in-store, on your eCommerce site, with a retailer or on a marketplace! Most of the time, this requires a connection between your eCommerce site and your POS or ERP software. For this, Soledis offers you the SoConnector solution, already used by some 180 customers!
If your products are sold on one or more marketplaces, you also need an efficient flow manager to ensure that your data (products, stock, orders) is updated almost instantaneously. Don't hesitate to contact us, as we also offer flow management solutions tailored to your specific needs.
2/ Installing a high-performance plugin that won't let you down!
As a Prestashop Platinum Partner agency, Soledis keeps abreast of the latest news on Prestashop Addons, and recommends modules that meet our customers' needs and have proven their performance and reliability. For click-and-collect, we recommend this module: " point relai retrait magasin "Highly rated and downloaded many times, including by Soledis for numerous customer sites!
In these troubled times, if you'd like to launch an e-commerce business, redesign your site to improve it, or boost your online sales through webmarketing, don't hesitate to contact us so we can study your project.
