Internet trade body quarterly sales tracking figures find the pay online, collect instore model proves popular
Internet trade body quarterly sales tracking figures find the pay online, collect instore model proves popular
The latest IMRG Capgemini Quarter Benchmarking Index has found a significant rise in the percentage of ‘click & collect’ e-commerce sales in the third retail quarter of 2011, accounting for 10.4% of all e-retail sales in the period.
This figure was up from 7.4% in the previous quarter (May to July), making it the strongest quarterly gain in the seven quarters that IMRG and Capgemini have been tracking this data.
Fulfilment approaches such as click & collect provide consumers with greater convenience and choice when it comes to receiving their deliveries, while the percentage of e-commerce sales via mobile devices (including tablets) also continued to rise, reaching 3.9% during the same period.
Data shows delivery options essential
David J Smith, IMRG chief marketing and communications officer, commented: “Delivery is one of the most important elements that make up the online shopping journey, and inconvenience at that stage can turn a positive experience into a bad one. Retailers need to ensure that they track and monitor consumer behaviour to understand what options are proving most popular, to ensure that the experience is as convenient and seamless as possible.”
Over the past seven quarters the average percentage of mobile sales recorded consistently strong growth. Between Q1 2010 and Q3 2011, the penetration rate of mobile sales (of the total e-commerce sector) had grown by 975%.
M-commerce appetites grow
The percentage of e-retail visits via mobile devices (including tablets) has also recorded strong growth over the past seven quarters, from 1.4% in Q1 2010 to 8.2% in Q3 2011. This represented a growth rate in penetration of visits via mobile devices (of total e-commerce visits) of 585% over that period.
Chris Webster, head of retail consulting and technology at Capgemini, added: “The fact that both click & collect sales and sales via mobile devices are up, shows that customers do want options when it comes to the online shopping experience. As we move into one of the busiest times of the year for e-commerce, this is a great opportunity for retailers to stand out amongst their competitors and give customers an improved experience.”
However Webster commented that the Index was still seeing a high level of checkout and basket abandonment, which he said was, “an indication that there is still work to be done by retailers to convert this demand into sales”.
