M&S trials drive-through click and collect

Marks and Spencer has announced it has partnered with Doddle to trial a new click and collect drive-through service.

As part of its Never the Same Again programme outlined at its full year results in May, Marks Spencer said it is “accelerating its transformation” with ambitions to create a store estate “fit for the new world and to turbocharge dotcom growth”.

Before March it revealed around 70% of online M&S orders were collected in clothing and food stores, whilst this fell to a low of 15% when clothing space was closed, it revealed it has gradually been rising again and is now at c.50%.

As such M&S has launched two new trials for click and collect – in-store contactless collection at Hempstead Valley, Camberley and Longbridge and drive-up collection at Camberley.

The supermarket said the new trials are “ideal for helping customers shop with confidence during this unprecedented time” as the drive-up collection eliminates two potential queues.

M&S added that the initial three-store trial will help understand customer demand and will be “rigorously measured” with data and by gathering “extensive” customer feedback. It will also measure the expectation that click and collect will become more efficient for colleagues to manage in-store using this technology.

Neil Phillips, head of digital operations at M&S, said: “Great digital technology in our stores is really important for offering our customers a great experience and for connecting the online and in-store journey.

“These trials with Doddle offer market leading solutions for click and collect, a proposition which will only grow over the coming years as the trend towards online shopping continues to accelerate. We’ll be listening carefully to our customers’ feedback.”

Gary O’Connor, CTO at Doddle, added: “We are delighted to be working with M&S to trial new click and collect technology in selected stores. Online shopping has rapidly accelerated, and we’re confident that our digital in-store collections and drive-up solution will benefit M&S and their customers—with an even more convenient way to receive their purchases.”