Klika now says it is "the first Australian pure play e-tailer to offer customers a more efficient parcel service by becoming a Parcel Connect store".

What does this partnership mean?

It means Klika’s customers can "shop, click and collect or send their parcels from Klika, thereby avoiding missing their deliveries or having to line up at traditional postal outlets leading in to Christmas", and is being billed as "the perfect marriage between online and offline after-sale shopping experience" from the Klika e-tail customer-pleasing power house.

Klika’s director of commercial operations Leo Zaitsev, who is also a seasoned online retail veteran, said: “We’ve always been customer centric and are continuously monitoring consumer trends to allow us to identify their needs, minimise their pain points, and tune in to key factors in generating store, and website traffic, and repeat business. Understanding customers’ needs and habits allows us to improve our services and enhance our customers’ shopping experience.

“We know that one of the major pain points of online shopping is missing your delivery and coming home to a calling card. A lot of our customers are time poor and the mere thought of lining up at a postal outlet the next day can be frustrating not to mention stressful.

“With that in mind we have been operating our click-and-collect outlet seven days a week, long before click-and-collect became a buzzword. Now our partnership with Parcel Connect couldn’t come at a better time. With the spike in online shopping leading to Christmas it means increased deliveries and some returns. By being a Parcel Connect service outlet, Klika becomes part of a solution for online shoppers nationwide.” Zaitsev continued.

So, who is Parcel Connect?

The company is "part of a range of delivery options Fastway Couriers introduced in 2013 to provide consumers a convenient alternative to postal or traditional courier services by providing customers parcel pick-up or delivery via a network of outlets across Australia".

The service allows customers "to send and collect their parcels at a local Parcel Connect agent when it suits them. Customers who are unable to receive their parcels at the delivery time can pick them up at their local Parcel Connect agent at a nearby convenience store or service station".

We are told that "the parcels are automatically redirected,’ and that ‘the in-store service allows customers to send parcels anywhere in Australia".

Klika reports having "a longstanding partnership with Fastway Couriers, making the alliance with Parcel Connect a seamless transition".

Simon Sproule, Parcel Connect’s national marketing manager, said: "At Parcel Connect, we focus on making consumers’ lives easier and taking away the frustration many shoppers experience with missed deliveries. Klika’s capabilities and demonstrated focus on improving customer experience makes it the perfect addition to our national growth.

“We are all about making the online shopping process and delivery convenient and easy, Sproule said. People want to be able to pickup and drop-off their parcels during the weekend or outside standard business hours. Klika offers just that. We look forward to working with Klika.” Sproule concluded.

Zaitsev added: “We find Parcel Connect’s business model relevant and believe that it fills a big gap in the shopper’s post shopping needs. We’re big on our after sales service, and adding a parcel pickup and drop-off service to our business model bridges that gap shoppers are currently facing. We also look forward to the increased store traffic and the opportunity to put our own impressive products and brands on their radar. It’s a win-win situation and a great way to turn store traffic in to new or repeat customers.

“Consumer confidence in online shopping is rising every month and we are expecting the online shopping frenzy to peak even more between now and mid-December. Last year alone, Australia saw a circa $4.9 billion Christmas splurge in online sales. Our business is experiencing exponential growth and we expect this sales activity to spike even higher this year, and attract an even bigger market share for Klika,” Zaitsev concluded.