A new study from PayPal has revealed that although click & collect services have risen to popularity for many retailers with high street outlets, this approach may not be so popular if coffee shops and restaurants adopt a similar approach.

The idea of ordering food or drink online and then collecting it in person was only cited as being something worthy of experiencing by ten per cent of the consumers who took part in the study. And a similarly small proportion said that they were fans of using NFC technology to make payments.

As expected there are already major restaurant chains, including KFC and McDonald’s, that are taking on the idea of click & collect as a means of selling food to consumers and, ultimately, cutting down on the amount of time that people have to wait.

It could also be argued that the likes of Domino’s Pizza in the UK are already offering what is in effect a click & collect service through mobile apps, although delivery is still an option in most cases.

Starbucks, meanwhile, reports that by harnessing the ability to pay by mobile phone it has improved the experience of visiting its stores for customers, as well as seeing 15 per cent of its sales in the US generated through this medium.

This is an especially intriguing study because it reveals that although consumers have embraced safe shopping online in many sectors, the limit may have been reached when it comes to buying food and beverages to consume immediately.

Retailers seem keen to get ahead of the curve and adopt the m-commerce trend early, but perhaps if consumers are not onboard in this particular sector, then it would be better for firms to avoid excessive investment in systems that will be used by a minority of customers.