Delivery in South Africa is not easy. Many South Africans live in outlying areas where there isn’t a well-developed infrastructure in place to get online orders to customers in a way that is both convenient and affordable.
For this reason, Cellucity partnered with smart logistics company Pargo who’s innovative pickup point network extends far across South Africa. Lesa Jackson, Ecommerce Sales Manager at Cellucity, explains
“Though Cellucity has many brick and mortar stores, the majority are found in large cities. Historically it’s been challenging to get our products in the hands of customers who live in outlying areas where we have no physical presence.”
“Traditional courier methods create a number of roadblocks to good service delivery when trying to assist clients in outlying areas. However, our partnership with Pargo has given us access to an alternative fulfilment solution through their broad pickup point network.”
Pargo recently reported that their network of pickup points has grown to over 3,000 and plan to continue with this growth further into 2021.
These pickup points, found in large retail chains, like Clicks, and local retailers, are strategically located to make ecommerce more accessible to customers living in difficult-to-reach areas through a click and collect delivery system.
Instead of waiting on delivery, customers choose to have their online orders sent to a nearby pickup point, which they can collect when it suits their schedule.
Due to their function as delivery hubs, Pargo’s Pickup Points not only enable Click and Collect, but they also help businesses cut fulfilment costs through consolidated delivery. Cellucity reports that Pargo’s system is 40-50% more cost-effective for their clients in outlying areas when compared with traditional courier methods.
Though still relatively new to the logistics landscape, Click and Collect is increasingly becoming an essential delivery option for many businesses. Over the last few years, Takealot, TFG and Cape Union Mart have all started offering this alternative fulfilment option to give their customers greater flexibility when choosing delivery methods.
Lesa explains: “Once our first Click and Collect orders came in, we quickly realised that it’s a delivery option that many of our customers were looking for. Currently, close to 20% of all Cellucity customers choose Click and Collect at checkout.
In the last few weeks, Cellucity and Pargo have launched several customer competitions, which is set to culminate in a lucky draw to win a Samsung Galaxy A21s. To enter, checkout on Cellucity’s website before the 15th of June and choose Pargo Click and Collect for delivery.