UK shoppers left £228m worth of products at click-and-collect sites in last year

One third say collecting items is a 'hassle'

(Getty Images)

British shoppers have left roughly £228m worth of uncollected products at click-and-collect sites in the last year due to long queues and understaffed collection points, claims a new report.

Research conducted by Barclaycard found that more than 70 per cent of Britons shop via a click and collect system, whereby they order products online and collect them at a local branch or pre-agreed site.

But 15 per cent of shoppers are neglecting to collect their products, the report found, with a third claiming that collecting their items was a “hassle” and that they’d rather wait for a refund and reorder their items to be delivered at home.

Meanwhile, a quarter of consumers said the waiting times at collection points were too long and the same amount said they needed more staff.

Nearly one in five (17 per cent) people said they struggled to find the right desk to collect their products when looking in-store.

Barclaycard estimates that if services are improved, Click & Collect could hugely benefit the British high street, claiming that 89 per cent of merchants offering the service have seen footfall increase over the past two years. Additionally, 97 per cent have benefited from additional revenue.

Nearly two in five (39 per cent) consumers said they would visit shops to collect their items more frequently if the process was improved.

Kirsty Morris, director at Barclaycard Payment Solutions said: “Click & Collect is a win-win for both retailers and consumers.

"Brands have the opportunity to not only increase the number of shoppers through their doors but also to reduce costs and returns, while generating revenue from ‘Click & Collectors’ purchasing additional items in-store.

“Enhancing the Click & Collect experience is a potentially lucrative way for retailers to ward off the unprecedented challenges of the high street and bridge the gap between online and in-store shopping.”

Christian Baggaley, head of operations at sportswear brand Decathlon UK agreed, explaining that the brand had seen a surge in the number of customers choosing to shop via Click & Collect since 2017.

"We are constantly looking at ways to make the overall shopping experience better for our customers," she said.