Innovations in click and collect

Two new innovations in click and collect services over the last week point to the growing importance of convenient pick-ups for customers, and therefore online retailers.

Pass My Parcel, which enables Amazon, among its other customers, to offer its shoppers same-day pick-up from a nearby newsagent, says it has invested in offering faster returns via its network. It’s partnered with returns provider Rebound to enable Uk shoppers to return their items via its network. Shoppers who opt to use Pass My Parcel via the Rebound site fill in their order details online before dropping the parcel at a local shop. Pass My Parcel is already used by retailers including Asos and French Connection for their outbound orders.

Now Freda Cronk, head of marketing at Pass My Parcel, says the new service gives its customer access to “the latest in delivery innovation.” She said: “We have a unique proposition in the sector and by working with ReBOUND, we are giving people the choice of returning items to shops in a number of different ways. This will help make the process more convenient, simple and in tune with customers’ busy lifestyles.

“Online sales are booming, but the marketplace is so competitive that retailers cannot afford to lag behind. Those who don’t offer free returns, or who restrict customers to one return method, will soon find they lose out to their rivals in this multi-channel world.“

Pass My Parcel, news and magazine wholesalers Smiths News, was established in 2014 and is now available through a network of more than 3,500 independent newsagents and convenience stores across the UK. Customers can collect and return items purchased online at a time to suit them, from as early as 7am, on a daily basis.

Graham Best, CEO at Rebound, said that the partnership would be an asset to Pass My Parcel’s retail clients:

“We already work with hundreds of fashion retailers, who value the fact that they can offer customers a seamless multi-carrier experience – both internationally and now in the UK.

“Pass My Parcel’s vision is very much like our own – we both want to give customers greater choice when returning unwanted items. It’s all about making the process as convenient as possible – which can then drive up sales for retailers.”

Meanwhile, courier-independent click and collect technology company HubBox says it will become the widest reaching click and collect network in the UK thanks to a partnership with payment provider Payzone to expand its network of collection points to over 6,000 by peak 2018. HubBox launched in 2015 and it’s more than 80 retail clients include Jack Wills, Warehouse, Oddbins, and Joy the Store. It says the expansion of its Collect Point network in conjunction with Payzone will increase its appeal to retailers for whom network size and nearness to customers is key.

“The partnership with Payzone is a key component of our strategy to become the most accessible and wide-reaching Click & Collect provider in the UK” said Sam Jarvis, CEO of HubBox. “We’re delighted to be working with an established player like Payzone to achieve our goal of blanket UK coverage and becoming the largest Click & Collect network in the country.”

Damian Scholes, head of product-convenience at Payzone said, “Convenience services is at the heart of our business model, in each of our 15,000 locations across the UK. We believe

HubBox’s courier-independent approach is the future of Click & Collect, so we’re thrilled to be forming a partnership to offer our customers a convenient parcel service.”