High street retailers are facing a further threat to sales with Amazon’s announcement of its new click-and-collect service in the UK, which allows shoppers to pick up their purchases from local newsagents and corner shops.
Online retailing giant Amazon has signed an agreement with the delivery service Collect+ to deliver orders to small shops and newsagents around the UK. The deal will allow Internet shoppers to collect their purchases from 4,900 convenience stores. Following trials of the service on orders of items such as books and clothing, the retailer now plans to roll the service out across the country.
As well as shoppers being able to collect purchases from local shops at their own convenience, the Collect+ scheme also allows customers to return unwanted items to the seller. The service is also used by pure-play online retailers such as ASOS and eBay. Convenience stores such as Costcutter and Spar have already signed up to the delivery scheme.
Amazon rolled out a similar initiative in the US earlier in the year where shoppers collect orders from 7-Eleven stores.
© Profitero 2012
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