click and collect

This system, in which a shopper orders a product online and then collects it at the store, has been in place in Australia since 2017 but its popularity has grown hugely over the last year thanks to the pandemic.  It actually suits both the customer and the retailer.  The customer can order and then collect almost immediately from the store or a collection point without have to wait for the item to be delivered, a process which sometimes requires them to be at home to accept delivery.  The retailer finds this a cheaper way to operate than home delivery.  In COVID times neither of them actually want to meet in person.

 This has produced some variations on the theme.  The contactless click and collect allows the customer to collect their item without having to encounter any staff.  The click and drive system means that the customer drives to the shop where a staff member puts the order in the boot and the customer drives away. The theory is that the numbers of couriers doing home deliveries will be shortly reduced as more and more people take to the new system.