Europe has recently made significant strides in fulfillment, as more consumers expect their items to be shipped immediately following a purchase and want to be able to check product quality at pickup.
“Click-and-collect tends to become a self-fulfilling project if retailers get the essentials right," eMarketer principal analyst Karin von Abrams said. "That helps to explain its success in urban areas like London and Paris, and in many cities across Germany where the population density ensures high ROI and processes can be fine-tuned based on real-time experiences.”
Diversified pickup options also attract consumers who might worry about product quality. “In France, for example, retailers have had more success with the 'drive' concept," von Abrams said. "With this approach, shoppers order and pay online but collect from a store or other distribution point in person. That means products can arrive when it suits the customer, and they can also check their purchases and rectify errors before driving away.”
And as pickup options grow, so does their appeal. According to a January 2019 study from the NRF, 63% of US consumers said they would like to use curbside pickup; 56% want merchandise delivered to the trunk of their cars, and half want to retrieve purchases from a pickup locker.
Interested in learning more about click-and-collect services and other ecommerce trends in Western Europe? eMarketer PRO subscribers can read our recent report now: "Western Europe Ecommerce Trends in 2019: Holiday Shopping Patterns, Digital Grocery and the Rise of Amazon and Alibaba."