6 Technologies For Your Click and Collect Retail Experience

In this blog we look at how different click and collect technologies can enhance the retail experience for your customers.

The future of retail and e-commerce clearly lies in providing an omnichannel customer experience

Ensuring easy shopping flow at every touchpoint, both offline and online. Using these technologies and workflows, customers can buy online and collect in their local branch for a smoother and far less stressful online shopping experience.

Over the last few years, click and collect solutions in the UK have seen unprecedented growth, reaching €11.3 billion (£9.91 billion) in the first quarter of 2023 alone – almost double total sales for the previous year.

If you’re setting up your click and collect solution or considering adopting one, you be wondering how best to get started while ensuring your existing critical processes continue to run smoothly. Read on to learn more about six of the key technologies your retail operation will need to deploy a dynamic click and collect solution.

1. Customer experience platform

When setting up your click-and-collect solution, you’ll need to find a feature-rich platform that offers exactly what you and your customers need for a seamless omnichannel experience. It should be flexible, scalable, and adaptable to the unique needs of your business and integrate effortlessly with any existing technology your retail business uses.

Ideally, you should look for one that enables you to add essentials such as kiosks and digital display solutions and offer analytics that can help you identify how to better meet your customer’s needs.

It should also offer features such as alerts to notify the customer that the package has arrived in-store and allow your team to process packages that arrive for collection more efficiently.

2. Wireless connectivity

Adopting more connected devices and software applications requires a reliable and stable wireless network connection before you can effectively deploy your ideal click and collect solution.

Every in-store retail location is different, and with that come unique structural problems or existing networking architecture that’s less than optimal. These factors can cause intermittent connectivity problems, which will ultimately affect the reliability of your click and collect service and frustrate the customer who is expecting a fast and painless collection experience.

Utilising a bespoke wireless networking solution, preferably defined by a wireless site survey, ensures your customers and your retail staff always remain connected when on site, even during peak business hours and seasonal periods. It also enables you to prepare for the latest changes to Wi-Fi, including the upcoming Wi-Fi 7 update in 2024.

3. Digital display solutions

Digital display solutions are a key part of the omnichannel customer experience, providing helpful at-a-glance updates that enhance the customer’s experience in store.

Once the customer has arrived to collect their order, they can immediately check strategically placed displays to see important and relevant information such as parcel collection information. It’s also a great opportunity to share current promotions to potentially generate further sales.

These displays are often easy to install and when connected to your network, it’s easy to keep any promotions and collection updates refreshed and relevant. These alleviates any additional pressure on your workforce.

4. WMS (Warehouse Management System)

When adopting or upgrading your click and collect solution, you should also ensure that any new technology integrates with your existing WMS for streamlined warehousing and a better in-store experience for your customers.

If you can choose the right WMS technology for your click and collect solution, you’ll streamline your warehousing processes and minimise potential issues. This should include features such as real-time accurate information about inventory levels, visibility, route optimisation, slotting optimisation and an ability to seamlessly integrate within existing WMS setups.

The right WMS integration is a vital ingredient, leading to a more efficient click and collect service that’s more cost-effective to run and far easier to manage.

5. Click and collect app

Every retail business offering ‘click and collect’ need mobile apps if they want to legitimately compete in the omnichannel retail space. Your customers expect a transparent process where they can track their order from the moment of purchase to the point of collection – and beyond, with customer service services and more.

While your customers can order via a web browser and receive an SMS when their order is ready for collection, having an app centralises the process and leaves the customer feeling in control, every step of the way.

Look for a user-friendly and customisable application platform that offers push notifications, scheduling pick-up windows, order tracking, clear instructions for pick-up, automatic check-in when approaching the store and more.

Many of these applications can be used by employees too and offer inventory notifications, customer notifications and reminders to ensure order completion, customer satisfaction and added physical mobility. Just consider what types of HHT (Handheld Terminals) your staff are using and whether these need to be refreshed or replaced.

6. In-store kiosk solution

Comprehensive, easy-to-use and fully integrated to suit your retail business, in-store kiosks further streamline the omnichannel shopping experience, helping the customer feel entirely in control of their order when arriving at your retail store.

Most are extremely compact, reducing the amount of space needed to install and in-store collection area. They are also ideal for a variety of retail sectors, offering the data security, easy integration and configuration options you need to keep your customers feeling truly satisfied with their click and collect experience.

An in-store kiosk isn’t just useful for collecting parcels, but also supporting the option for self-service returns. Customers can return unwanted items directly into a store, scan its barcode, print off a returns label then place their package in a same place, ready for it to enter your established reverse logistics system.

Optimise your omnichannel retail experience with a click and collect solution from Renovotec

By adopting technologies such as click and collect platforms, improving wireless connectivity, using a high-performing WMS and using apps, kiosks and digital display solutions, retail businesses can better meet the ever-changing needs of the modern consumer.

Renovotec has decades of experience supporting retail organisation with enhanced technology solutions that help them run more effective operations and deliver a dynamic and competitive customer service.

Contact one of our experts today and let us help you creative a consistent multichannel approach.

Want to find out which are the right click and collect solutions for your business? Visit Renovotec and our partners at the Retail Technology show, Olympia London from 26-27th April 2023 on stand 6H10.