ASOS launched a new delivery service this week called ‘ASOS Collects’. They’re working with the people at Collect+ to allow customers to buy online and have items delivered to a Collect+ outlet, be it a corner shop or supermarket.
We always like to see new delivery services in action, so we decided to give it a go and see how it works.
The customer is able to collect parcels from participating supermarkets, newsagents and corner shops up to 7 days a week at two set price options; next day (£5.95) and standard (£3.95). The parcel is available for collection for up to ten days providing the customer shows a form of ID and the unique code sent to them via e-mail.
Whilst selecting my desired product, the new ‘Collects’ option was displayed on the page under the delivery tab. The information included in the tab was clear enough to convince me to go ahead with the method at a further stage.
When I got to the checkout I was asked to select my billing address and preferred delivery option. Below the Collects service was an information tab and a ‘Find Nearest Store’ button which was an important factor in deciding whether it was a viable delivery option to choose or not.
I was directed to a pop up where I had to enter my postcode and was shown a map view of the nearest stores offering the service, along with which stores offered standard and next day deliveries. It’s great that customers are informed of this at this stage, as many would choose a different store depending on the flexibility they wanted.
I entered my contact details as prompted by Collect+ and chose to enter my mobile number as I’m always on the go and could be near a shop when the item arrived. Collect+ informed me of the steps to follow and what I would need to take with me at the point of collection. I went on to select my delivery type, choosing from the 3 displayed options I had read about initially.
The day after I had made my purchase I was pleasantly surprised to receive both a text message and e-mail from Collect+ notifying me that the parcel had arrived at the newsagents. It informed me that I would have to show the code given to me to the cashier, in addition to a form of ID. A speedy service given that I’d selected the standard option!
Returning to work on Monday morning, I chose to collect my ASOS parcel. As you can see from the photograph there was no indication that the store actually offers a Collect+ service which made it quite difficult to locate amongst the other newsagents nearby but I got there in the end.
When I walked into the store and notified the cashier that there should be a Collect+ parcel waiting for collection, I got the impression that it didn’t happen often as he seemed a little startled. He shouted to his colleague out the back which is obviously where they are stored and I was asked for my name. The ‘account number’ or the code I was sent to via text message was requested and tapped into the Collects+ machine and I was also asked for a form of ID.
After this everything was pretty simple – after signing for the parcel I was given the item and the receipt.
I must say I didn’t find the convenience store the friendliest of places to collect the goods from – I wasn’t actually buying anything from the shop itself and they didn’t seem that familiar with the process. From an ASOS brand point of view there is a possible mismatch between the glamorous website and fab customer service, and then the slightly unfriendly experience in the corner shop. Although Collect+ allows ASOS to compete with the likes of Oasis and New Look, who can already offer collect from store, the experience in those stores is much more aligned with the retailer’s brand. I’m also not sure whether I would prefer this method of collection to that of a locker collection, as locker collections may be faster and more secure.
Having said all of that, the location of these stores makes the ASOS Collects service very convenient indeed. If I were to regularly use this same shop for my collections then I’d get more comfortable and the shop owners would start to see the benefits – after all, I imagine it’s quite easy to tempt most ASOS customers into buying a copy of Vogue?
Overall, I found the Collect+ process really quick and easy and would definitely recommend it to anyone with a hectic lifestyle who can’t be present for deliveries at home, and like the convenience of picking up their ASOS orders without having to go out of their way.
Try out the ASOS Collect+ service and let us know about your experience!
