Many retailers already have a click-and-collect system in place. Click-and-Collect, also called BOPUS (Buy Online, Pick Up in-Store), attempts to cater to customers who either want to ensure their product will be in-store the next time they visit, or want to order online without the shipping fees. By shipping an item to the store for free and holding it for a customer, many retail stores hope to retain consumers who otherwise may turn to competitors, whether brick-and-mortar or online.

young woman using click and collect kiosk in the middle of a city

Click-and-collect has not been without its problems, however. A third of the orders placed are abandoned before they are picked up and subsequently purchased, which defeats the purpose of offering the service. In addition, the handoff between the order and purchase needs to be entirely seamless. The worst thing that can happen is that the customer has a poor experience – for instance, being told that their product has arrived before it is actually ready. They are not only likely to abandon the purchase, but they may even refuse to use your click-and-collect service in the future.

If you’re looking to provide a memorable customer experience, you have one chance to do it. The process needs to be efficient and without any hiccups. Here are a few reasons why integrating a click-and-collect kiosk in your store will help engage and retain your customers, and how to do it.

Keep your customers before they order online

Many customers may have come to your store looking for a product, but end up leaving and going home to order it online if it’s not in-store. Even if your employees can handle placing click-and-collect orders in your physical stores, or if you offer such a service on mobile, many customers may not opt for the hassle and just head home without engaging in-store.

Kiosks offer a distinct way to interact with customers without forcing them to find and engage with potentially busy employees or to pull out their phones to order. Placing your click-and-collect kiosks near the entrance will make sure that customers about to abandon their decision to shop with you can clearly see that you offer click-and-collect, and that doing so will save them on shipping fees.

Make the “collect” aspect of click-and-collect painless

Having a customer go through the whole process of click-and-collect is asking a lot of investment on their part. They should be rewarded with a shorter, separate line, to ensure that the convenience of click-and-collect is emphasized. Having a kiosk at the front of your physical store can help lower the rampant abandonment of click-and-collect orders, as well as help speed up the process of pickup.

A key component of this feature is ensuring that the transition is seamless. When a customer is notified that the product is in the store, it should be ready for pickup, and the customer should be able to pay at the kiosk with a mobile POS system. Having a long or remotely difficult process will no doubt ensure that customers won’t use your click-and-collect service more than once.

Encourage click-and-collect throughout the holidays

Setting up such kiosks in time for the holidays is a great way to retain customers who might otherwise turn to the likes of your online competitors for their products, especially during the chaotic inventory movement later in the year. Emphasizing the customer’s options in holiday brochures will capture the business of some of your potential customers.

However, having a physical kiosk in the store you can draw attention to – especially one with a potential holiday display or pop-up near it – can help retain the customers already in your store, and possibly encourage customers who may not have initially set out for that purchase.

Check out our previous blogs for help with engaging customers in your store using their mobile devices, as well as how to integrate your kiosks with your digital signage. If you need help with deploying such kiosks to your stores, Worldlink Integration can manage your project and supplement your IT team to make it happen.