Home improvement retailer B&Q is set to offer a click-and-collect service for its third-party online marketplace, enabling customers to receive their orders from as early as the next day.
The DIY giant is trialling the service at its Fareham, Hampshire, shop ahead of a phased launch across 300 UK stores, Retail Week reported.
B&Q’s marketplace sells over 2 million DIY, home and garden items from 2,000 sellers, with around 10% of them taking part in the trial.
The firm said it marked a first for a UK marketplace and would set “a new standard in customer order fulfilment, with the aim of providing greater flexibility, speed and convenience”.
The click-and-collect service works alongside B&Q’s return-to-store service, where customers can bring their marketplace purchases to its shops for a refund.
The brand’s director of marketplace Aime Matondo Fundani explained that its next-day click-and -collect option would not cover “the entire assortment, at least at the beginning” but that it did have “a number of sellers that are able to match that proposition”.
He also noted that the service was “extremely important” to B&Q’s overall digital strategy, and that it was a “unique value proposition” it could leverage.
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B&Q ecommerce director Virginia Wakefield said: “It’s great to be launching this new service and to be extending our in-store collection services to customers buying from B&Q’s third-party marketplace sellers at diy.com.
“Around 90% of our customers begin their shopping experience on the web, and we’re seeing strong conversion of digital customers into store footfall as a result.”
She continued: “Marketplace click and collect will give our customers even more convenience by further seamlessly integrating the online and in-store shopping experience.
“Our third-party sellers benefit too by being able to offer their customers more delivery options and access to customers who prefer to pick up their orders in store.”
B&Q debuted its online marketplace in March 2022, one of the first retailers to lead the pack with marketplace launches.
The move came as the group sought to create a “a one-stop shop” for homes, strengthening its foothold in key categories such as lighting, power tools and wallpaper.
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