The ecommerce industry has faced several challenges over the last decade, many of which it has overcome and some it is yet to and possibly will in some time. One of the biggest challenges was logistics. Many early skeptics considered ecommerce to be a nonstarter because they were of the opinion that selling items at affordable prices, often cheaper than what retail stores sold them at, and then delivering to the customers’ doorsteps would be unviable. The logistics industry worked closely with the ecommerce industry to prove that not only was it doable but even the finance could be worked out.
However, there remain many challenges in the delivery system. Some companies like courierpoint.com have managed to offer affordable courier services but many logistic companies are yet to find that balance. The trouble becomes all the more daunting when one considers international couriering. Surely, sending a parcel to India from the UK or the US is not very viable financially. This is one reason why major ecommerce stores have opened up warehouses in major markets and they locally source and delivery their goodies.
The delivery system has certainly been provided a fillip with the click and collect concept. Today, around 75% of shoppers in the UK prefer to click and collect and actually do it. The click and collect system is quite simple. The customer chooses a retail store or a particular address as a convenient point where the ecommerce company or online store can have the purchases delivered through a courier company like courierpoint.com and then the customer can go and collect it from that address. This reduces the cost of shipping, customers can choose any convenient address that they would cross or walk by in due course of their daily routine or conveyance and customers get to choose an address where there will be someone at all times so the delivery guy doesn’t have to return without delivering the parcel.
Shopping and purchasing online and then picking it up in retail stores or any location of choice that is convenient for customers and couriers has been becoming popular but right now it is becoming a norm. This is great news for companies looking at operating online stores, global marketplaces or ecommerce giants and for courier companies as well. Customers too can enjoy the convenience, the surety and the financial rewards of the click and collect system.
