As a retailer or restaurant owner, you have many options for the delivery strategy you want to use to send your customers their valuable purchases:

• Here is a list of home delivery services that you can implement right away:
  • Completing deliveries with an in-house service;
  • Contracting a delivery service company (e.g. FedEx, DHL);
  • Collaborating with the national postal service of Australia (Australia Post) — they even have a similar service to click-and-collect by using parcel lockers;
  • Enlisting your venue in one of the most popular grocery delivery apps (such as Metro60) — a topic that we have covered in a previous article by comparing food delivery apps with click & collect delivery;
  • Click & Deliver (a same-day delivery system that Storeplay IQ offers in partnership with DoorDash);
• Alternatively, you can set up a Click & Collect delivery process or, simply, BOPIS (buy online, pick up in store).

A great question you may be asking yourself now is: “which of these options is best for my business?”

The answer is mostly a matter of outsourcing the desired service versus doing it yourself. But there’s more to the story than that, so sit back, relax, and read on.

We live in a world that is constantly changing; we must always adapt to unpredictable circumstances. For example, if there is an emergency at the office, you may need to work overtime and require specific tools to complete your assignments. You would also probably need to buy some snacks and energy drinks to face the challenge. Fortunately, you can order everything from your smartphone and have it delivered within minutes.

That is just one example to show that same-day delivery isn’t a luxury anymore but a necessity in order to solve our problems on time. More and more business owners are going the extra mile (literally) to deliver what their customers need as quickly as possible.

From a business point of view, it’s worth noting that nowadays, almost 1 in 2 consumers expect a maximum delivery window of two days. They also wouldn’t shop from a retailer again after three late orders. That is probably why some studies show that the value of same-day delivery shopping is expected to grow to $20.36 billion by 2027, up from $5.78 billion in 2019 — which is more than 3.5 times!

We have companies that are keeping up with the times: when customers ask, they listen. Same-day delivery can also be an excellent practical solution for brick-and-mortar shops looking to boost their sales. For example, a fashion boutique that isn’t in a strategic central location to attract passerby may opt for home delivery to increase its profit margins.

There’s no doubt that we need to step up our game concerning fast delivery in order to meet consumer expectations.

Let’s look at the benefits and drawbacks of various delivery methods below.

1. What Is the Most Cost-Effective Delivery Method?

   By outsourcing a delivery service to send groceries or computer components, for example, a business shares its profits with the third-party company that takes the orders to the customers.

   In comparison, click-and-collect, in its basic form of online shopping with in-store pickup, only requires setting up a specific area to receive clients and hand them their orders.

   For BOPIL (buy online, pick up in locker), it usually involves placing the orders in storage lockers outside the premises. It’s still more convenient for you to travel to a single location rather than spend a significant amount of time completing home deliveries.

   Moreover, with a click-and-collect process, customers save money on delivery fees and are motivated to buy more from your shop.

   Therefore, click & collect delivery is a win-win for both the consumer and the business in this regard.

2. What Is the Safest Delivery System?

   Isn’t it frustrating when a courier can’t find you home at a certain (arbitrary) time interval and takes your order back to the store?

   If you are on the giving end of this transaction, there is a solution you can apply to ensure your clients don’t miss their deliveries. That is to simply allow them to pick up their orders at their most convenient time — a click-and-collect process is the most reliable option in this case.

   It is also worth mentioning that click-and-collect is less risky for fragile items which are sometimes damaged during shipping.

   Any wise business owner would try to do what they can to minimise the things that are beyond their control — and click & collect delivery is the best way to do so.

3. What About Next-Day or Same-Day Delivery?

   BOPIS or BOPIL allow shoppers to receive their orders sooner than a third-party delivery service might be able to provide. As soon as the shop processes the online order, the staff can swiftly take and prepare the items from the shelves and wait for the customer to visit the venue for pick-up.

   There is no other service faster than that, but there are third-party home delivery services, like click & deliver, that ship the packages the same day they receive the orders.

   So, in this chapter, we’d say there’s a tie between click & collect and other outsourced services.

4. What Is the Most Eco-Friendly Solution?

   If your clientele consists of young adults or if you genuinely want to reduce your environmental impact and raise the standard for your competitors, then click-and-collect is, by far, the most eco-friendly delivery service.

   From using little to no plastic packaging to avoiding unnecessary emissions from transportation, your shop or restaurant can show that a more sustainable way of doing business is possible.

   However, delivery service companies are stepping up to the challenge as well. In the past few years, many grocery delivery companies started offering bicycles or electric vehicles to their couriers to reduce their carbon footprint. That is something we hope to see more of in the future!

5. Which One Is Easier to Set Up?

   Unlike any other outsourced delivery service, click-and-collect can save you a lot of hassle. You can streamline and automate certain operations, especially with technology like Storeplay IQ's booking platform. Essentially, you can avoid third-party apps or hiring additional staff to handle communication.

   Keep in mind, however, that click-and-collect requires your involvement. You must train your employees and keep your inventory up to date so that your customers know what is available when they shop online.

6. Which Option Provides the Greatest Customer Experience?

   There is too little customer interaction with your company when the orders are placed online and delivered by a third party. However, if you set up an in-house delivery service, you can personalise the customer journey from start to finish and down to the last detail.

   If you want your efforts to have a greater impact, then click & collect delivery, such as curbside pickup or in-store pickup, provides an opportunity for an upsell at the collection point. This also leads to increased consumer interaction with your brand.

7. What About Convenience?

   To be honest, convenience is subjective. Some consumers want products delivered to their doorstep because they are unable to leave the house or office for any number of reasons. In that sense, any of the home delivery options are a valid choice.

   For others, convenience means choosing a pick-up date and location to receive their purchase and not relying on a courier. Click & Collect delivery is perfect in this instance, as it provides the flexibility they desire.

Ultimately, customers like having several delivery options to choose from. If you can afford to send their items to their doorstep as well as set up a click-and-collect process, that is the key to an inspired business strategy.

Storeplay IQ can help streamline processes like click & collect, click & deliver, or BOPIS (buy online, pick up in-store). In addition, we can provide you with the metrics to understand the performance of your shops and services.

If you need help brainstorming and applying the perfect solution for your company, don’t hesitate to get in touch!