One of the latest online shopping trends concerns fulfilment and the options available to the rapidly growing legion of online retail fans regarding logistics - and the growth of the Click & Collect model of fulfilment in particular. This method of delivery combines the best of on and offline - with the ability to purchase online and then collect the item from a local delivery hub, such as a corner shop, physical retailer or garage.

E-commerce brands like Click & Collect because it helps to lower their costs for deliveries and exchanges - something that was threatening to cripple many online brands with tight margins. Additionally, it removes the risk of customers being unable to receive their delivered parcels and the administration of those orders returning to the warehouse to be reprocessed. Customers like it because of the convenience and flexibility offered - and the opportunity to avoid delivery costs or the need to wait in. As a result, the choice is becoming an increasingly popular one, which is benefiting both groups greatly. 

It's interesting to note that research by UPS found that 82pc of online shoppers would be keener to purchase online if they were able to return their items in-store. Nielsen has also found that the Click & Collect option tends to be the most popular in large cities, fitting in with the busy lives of city workers and dwellers.

Expect to see more examples of these omni-channel retail strategies in the future, with even smaller e-commerce retailers able to offer this type of service by collaborating with bigger stores or buying into commercial models. Click and Collect looks set to further meet customer needs and offer the flexibility, confidence and safe shopping online that they value when shopping in the modern world.