French sports retailer Decathlon is hoping to delight customers and increase sales by teaming with InPost UK, to offer a secure Click & Collect service from easily accessible lockers.
As of Thursday 4th August, Decathlon’s UK customers have had the option to receive their online purchases through one of the 1,100 InPost parcel lockers across the country. These are accessible 24/7 allowing customers to collect at their convenience without the worry of missing a delivery at home. Decathlon tells us that delivery via InPost is free until 17th August, with the price after that yet to be confirmed.
The new service will enable Decathlon customers to have their online purchases delivered to one of over 1,100 fully automated InPost parcel lockers nationwide. All lockers are situated in secure locations close to parking space. They are found at Morrisons and Toys ‘R’ Us branches as well as petrol stations, railway stations, and tube stations.
Decathlon has worked closely with InPost focusing on customer experience. Customers who opt to use InPost receive a unique barcode to open their locker. InPost has a growing reputation for infrastructure and user-friendly technology. It is one of Europe’s largest private postal and logistics operators with over 10,000 employees and it has built up the world’s most extensive locker network.
The power of convenience
Shoppers will receive notifications on delivery times via email and text, and can choose a pick up point close to their home or office. Decathlon says that on average, locker locations are no more than two miles away from urban customers, making it more convenient than ever to receive orders.
Chris Baggaley, Head of Omni-Channel Operations at Decathlon said the InPost tie up will help support Decathlon’s corporate ethos of making sport accessible to many. The aim is to provide all year round low prices, convenience and excellent customer service. “InPost lockers will provide our customers a safe, quick and simple way to access our products in over 1,100 new locations,” said Baggaley. “As the lockers are accessible 24/7 it means that our products will be available for collection outside our normal Click & Collect and home delivery times.”
Ian Caminsky, CEO at InPost UK, said Decathlon is looking for opportunities to grow sales through e-commerce. “However, to fully capitalise on this, they had to ensure that their logistics chain offers a convenient, reliable and fast delivery service for their customers. This is exactly what InPost is all about. We are looking forward to supporting Decathlon in increasing their customer satisfaction levels.”
Watch the InPost video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlHeMLj_A7Q
Our view:
This is a very wise move by Decathlon, a company demonstrating its commitment to a worldwide omnichannel approach and thinking strategically about e-delivery. With 25 UK stores and two more planned to open this year, the sports retailer has a solid brand presence. It can use physical stores to cross-promote online services and upsell. In our IREU Top500 Report 2016 which ranks the performance of Europe’s Top 500 ecommerce and multichannel retailers, Decathlon sits proudly in the Top 6 EU Elite group alongside the likes of Apple, Next and Zara, which means it already scores incredibly highly for excellence in Strategy, Innovation, Merchandising, Operations and Logistics. This kind of additional delivery option will undoubtedly add to its customer offer and encourage sales.
However size of items is one sticking point. Decathlon’s larger products such as kayaks, fishing rods and treadmills won’t suit the locker size restriction, while for swimwear, running shoes, sunglasses and protein supplements, the lockers will be ideal.
One massive drawback of instore Click & Collect generally can be the time it takes already stretched store staff to go hunting for parcels. There is a risk of leaving other customers waiting longer to pay at tills. So the option for customers to drive and immediately pick up from a handily located locker really makes sense. With Olympic-fever hotting up just now, Decathlon could be well positioned to tempt shoppers to splash out on gear for a brand new or long-neglected sport.
Further reading:
InPost stories on eDelivery.net
Image credit:
- InPost UK for media use only
