‘Click and collect remains stagnant’

British shoppers still show a much stronger preference for at-home delivery, as “click and collect” remains stagnant year over year, a recent report has stated, highlighting how offering delivery services is a must for a retailer.

According to data from the UK edition of the “Global Digital Shopping Playbook” report, 86 per cent of British consumers opted to have their most recent online purchases delivered to their homes — the highest across six countries surveyed — compared to only 14 per cent who opted to pick them up.

The report suggests that delivering products is non-negotiable if retailers want to retain market share. Major retailers like Co-op and Sainsbury’s have turned to aggregator-supermarket partnerships to capitalize on the trend while others are choosing to grow their own in-house online rapid delivery platforms, intensifying competition between Just Eat, Uber Eats and Deliveroo and trusted British retailers. 

Like Tesco announced in March the expansion of its rapid home delivery service, Whoosh, to 1,000 Tesco Express convenience stores, reaching 55 per cent of the households across the country. 

Co-op, on the other hand, has stated that it aims to bag 30 per cent of the rapid delivery grocery market as its  partnership with Just Eat is set to reach the 1,000-store milestone by the end of this month.

Co-op estimates that more than 80 per cent of the UK population will have access to Co-op groceries online by the end of this year, through its own online shop and with delivery partners.

Last year, the society saw its online revenues grow by 24 per cent, with it using the strategic advantage of its stores located in local communities to grow its presence in the channel. Over the last six months, the retailer has also expanded its use of autonomous grocery deliveries, with its self-driving robots now operating in areas such as Bedford, Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Leeds and Greater Manchester.

Meanwhile, Aldi has ‘big plans’ to extend its existing click and collect initiative in 2023. Speaking to The Sun, Aldi’s chief executive Giles Hurley said “watch this space” when it comes to rolling out click and collect further.

“Online grocery spending might have slowed, but it’s still 11 per cent of the food market, it’s still going to be important,” he said.