In Store Pick Up: Order Online and Collect On Store

By



ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank my supervisors, friends and family, without their support this research study would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I adjudge that the entire content of this dissertation is entirely my own work; the content used in this dissertation has not been submitted before in any educational institution and represents my own opinion.

Signed __________________ Date _________________

ABSTRACT

The aim of the study is to find out whether click-and-collect system is beneficial for the consumers and retailers or not. The study aims at finding out the characteristics, the benefits and operational challenges of in store pick up system. In this research study the qualitative research method was used. In this research study the Tesco and Wal-Mart retailers' click-and-collect strategies were discussed and explained in depth. For this purpose the qualitative research method was employed, in that managers of Tesco and Wal-Mart were asked to tell their strategies. The retailers find an intimidate challenge for implementing the in store pickup system. The operational challenges are training of the staffs and defining the operational process. In order to get the fast response for pulling in store pickup orders' inventory and employees' trainings the retailers must create positive consumers' experiences. The operation team of the stores must have to act in an active role for deploying in store pickup program. The Clicks and Mortar model offers an advantage in business areas where it is better to use technical skills and assets of a company effectively. This strategy helps retailers for offering the integration of physical and online channels of business, potential synergies between the two resulting competitive advantages of retailer businesses which are also operating in the virtual environment. Thus, after analysis and discussion, it can be concluded that both the retailers are efficient enough in terms of their in store pickup systems and their ROI as well as capital investment is worthy.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background of the study1

Problem statement3

Research aims and objectives4

Objectives of the thesis4

Research questions5

Scope and Delimitation6

Layout of the dissertation6

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW7

Introduction7

Retailing business7

Masters of E-tailing9

Online Shopping12

Retail Patronage13

E-Grocery Shopping Process and Business Models14

2.3.1 Online Ordering14

2.3.2 Order Picking15

2.3.3 Order Delivery/Pick Up16

Factors for Success of e-grocery businesses18

Factors for Failure19

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY26

Research Design26

Qualitative Inquiry27

Structured Literature Review (SLR)29

Interviews30

Reliability and validity31

Validity32

Ethical Concerns35

Significance37

Literature Search37

CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION38

Interview questions39

Discussion43

Click-and-collect marketing strategy in retail industry44

Effectively implementing click-and-collect marketing strategy45

Operational challenges of in store pick up system48

Map Assisting Managers for Implementing Click-and-collect Marketing Strategy49

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS52

Recommendations57

REFERENCES58

APPENDIX62

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

The retail industry contributes much to the United Kingdom economy. Overall total online sales were $172.9 billion for the year 2010, an increase of 11% from 2009 (Babin & Griffin 1994 644). UK consumers spent approximately $400 billion online sales on clothing and footwear in 2008. Clearly, the online retail sector, one sector in the industry, plays an important role in driving economic growth in the UK, while also satisfying consumers' functional and emotional needs. Expanding our understanding of why consumers buy, and how they purchase ...