Click and collect has become one of the most popular initiatives within the retail industry, giving consumers the opportunity to order items during their lunch break and pick them up at a store of their choosing at a specified time. Yet while retail chains have largely adapted to this, shopping centres are for the large part yet to cash in on the opportunities click and collect affords.
Now, Westfield London has announced that it will pilot a click and collect hub in order to determine whether customers would like to take part in a more tailored shopping programme before making the hub a permanent fixture of the centre. Working in partnership with parcel firm Collect +, Westfield will allow customers to order items from any of the stores within the centre and collect them at an easily accessible point within the complex.
Furthermore, the hub will also be home to a “premium lounge” area allowing customers to take the weight off their feet whilst waiting for their goods. This lounge will contain several fitting rooms, so customers can try on pre-ordered clothing items before leaving the centre, negating the possibility of having to return an item due to an incorrect size being purchased.
Westfield UK & Europe director, Myf Ryan, says; “With the growing popularity of click and collect, and shoppers wanting to use click and collect services at convenient locations such as Westfield, we saw an opportunity to respond to shoppers’ needs and ultimately help deliver a seamless experience for customers shopping online and in-store at Westfield London.”
Of course, Westfield London is not unique in its ambition to enhance the consumer experience by blending traditional retailing with technological developments. Yorkshire shopping centre Leeds Trinity, which opened last year, has made use of large screens which allow consumers to wirelessly connect up their smartphones as a means of navigating the complex, while many shopping centres now offer free Wi-Fi so consumers can browse store websites as a means of digitally enhancing the shopping experience.
As part of Westfield’s digital drive, a number of new initiatives will be introduced along with the click and collect hub. These include a home delivery service – again in partnership with Collect + – valet parking and even hands free shopping.
The Economist Intelligence Unit retail analyst, Jon Copestake, believes that further clouding the borders between traditional and digital shopping can hugely benefit shopping centres.
He says; “It’s a win-win channel policy for shopping centres such as those operated by Westfield.
“Online stores open up a new front for revenue generation, while in-store pick-up will generate footfall and more sales opportunities from consumers who shop further when collecting items.”
With stores offering digital services such as click and collect the big winners this Christmas, it is safe to assume that more and more retailers will be adapting to the trend over the next year. Hopefully, shopping centres will follow suit and offer an enhanced experience for both consumers and their retailer tenants.
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