Extended multichannel capability reaps rewards, doubling order expectations
Extended multichannel capability reaps rewards, doubling order expectations
Pets at Home has successfully implemented ‘Click and Collect’ functionality on its www.petsathome.com site, to deliver a more seamless shopping experience whether customers shop online, in store or over the phone.
Evidence so far suggests the new functionality has been well received by customers, with orders double that expected. And Pets at Home anticipate this will grow as the service becomes more recognised over the coming months.
Matt Stead, director of multichannel at Pets at Home, said: “Click and Collect was part of our strategy when we implemented a new e-commerce Platform last year. A key priority for us was to combine our online and offline services, allowing customers to reserve online and collect from one of our 275 stores nationwide. The process to implement Click and Collect was pretty straightforward and results so far demonstrate that the investment was worthwhile.”
Integration key to functionality
In preparation for the service, Pets at Home had to upgrade its instore systems, taking advantage of BT Expedite’s Integrated Store multichannel solution. The Click and Collect functionality was achieved by integrating the store to the existing web channel and Salmon’s Application Framework for e-commerce (SAFE) platform, implemented by Salmon in 2009.
Products available online can now be reserved for collection from store, with inventory managed in real time. Salmon were responsible for changing the pages on the website needed for the ‘Click and Collect’ process, updating the checkout to incorporate in store collection and updating the product page to link to store checker this allows customers to see what the current stock is for the product. Once a quantity and postcode have been entered, the stock checker process, which transfers the information to BT Expedite’s Store 6 software then checks availability. Customers in their basket view, have the ability to remove items, update quantities, revert to browsing or continue to reserve/checkout. They can also choose the store they wish to reserve their goods in, or choose to have the products delivered to home. Once they have confirmed their contact details and reservation these are passed to Store 6.
The customer then receives a confirmation page giving them a reference number for their reservation, along with an email and SMS message from Store 6. Products will be ready for collection after two working hours and will be held until the end of the following day. Customers pay on collection.
