A shopper orders a birthday present online for collection from your shop. They want to pick it up on the way home from work. Questions follow: when will it be ready? Is the shop open late on Thursday? Do I need to bring ID? Can my partner collect it instead? If they cannot find answers, they phone, email, or turn up hoping for the best.
Click and collect questions are practical and time-sensitive. Answering them clearly prevents wasted trips, failed collections and frustrated customers.
The questions collection customers ask
- How soon will my order be ready?
- Where exactly do I collect?
- What are the collection hours?
- Do I need to bring ID or my order confirmation?
- Can someone else collect for me?
- How long will you hold my order?
- Is it in stock at my nearest store?
Stock and collection together
Many collection questions start with stock: "Is this available to collect from the High Street store today?" If your website shows stock by location, the answer can be instant. If not, be clear about how availability works. The broader approach to stock questions is covered in how to answer stock and restock questions without an inbox.
Publishing clear collection information
A simple collection page should cover:
- Typical time from order to ready.
- Collection points and addresses.
- Collection hours, which may differ from shop hours.
- What to bring.
- Whether others can collect, and what they need.
- How long orders are held before cancellation.
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Answering instantly
Visitor: Can my husband collect my order? Assistant: Yes, anyone can collect your order as long as they bring the order confirmation email on their phone and the order number. Orders are held for 7 days after you receive the ready notification.
SpideyChat for ecommerce stores answers from your published collection information at any hour. It does not check whether an individual order is ready unless that information is available on your site.
Collection versus delivery
Some shoppers weigh collection against delivery. Clear comparisons of cost and timing help them choose, and prevent the delivery surprises covered in shipping cost surprises and the carts they abandon.
Screening the right details
The idea of asking a few simple questions to make sure a request can be handled first time appears in many industries. Letting agents do it with rental applications, as in rental application questions answered before viewing, and businesses with receptionists do it for appointments, as covered in receptionist screening questions. For collections, it means confirming the store, the day and who is collecting.
Multi-store retailers
Retailers with several shops get an extra question: which store? Shoppers want to know which location has the item, which is closest and whether collection hours differ between stores. List each store's collection hours and address clearly, and make the store choice obvious at checkout. A shopper who arrives at the wrong store is one of the most avoidable failed collections.
Reducing failed collections
Failed collections, where the customer arrives and the order is not ready or they lack the right proof, waste everyone's time. Clear notifications and published requirements prevent most of them. When a failed collection does happen, capture what went wrong and fix the process.
To see how collection questions would be answered on your store, try an assistant, or look at the features.