Hello people!
We all know how it can sometimes be boring to lose our precious time in supermarkets for our monthly groceries or whenever we need to. End of months queues are even worst. Ever since Winners launched its online shop last year, I always wanted to give it a try and write my experience in the blog but my first trial only happened a few weeks ago. I found it so convenient that I used it a second time. And without any doubt, I will use it again in the very near future.
Choosing your products from anywhere
Being able to fill in your virtual cart from practically anywhere is a great plus. Just imagine : Instead of writing down a shopping list, you can just go to the web site anytime you remember what you need to purchase. The beautifully made web site makes shopping like a breeze. And since this Click & Collect service is available in 13 stores (out of 26 ), there are big chances that one of those 13 stores are accessible to most of us while waiting for deployment in the rest of the stores…
The first time I tried the web site, I got a list of items from my wife Dhaneesha, used the search engine to find the products and then added them into my cart. It was so easy to pick up what she wanted, especially those tiny items from the spice section. Wow, sometimes I lose endless minutes there. Not anymore!
The second time I used the online service, I simplified the process by becoming a bit lazy. I gave her my Winners’ account, she chose her own products and checked out to confirm the order. That’s all!
I did not even need to ask her what she purchased as the list is sent to the registered email address:
Substitution products
When going through the web site, you will come across this word very often. When putting any item in your virtual cart, it gives the possibility for the customer to choose whether he/she wants Winners to provide an alternative product in case the chosen item is not available.
For example, if you chose a Coca Cola 1.5L when shopping and you ticked the “Substitution” option, if ever Coca Cola is not available when your items are being prepared, then, they might give you a Pepsi 1.5L bottle.
The price difference is then reflected on the new bill, which is emailed to you once your order has been prepared and ready for pick up.
Pick up time
When loading the Winners’ site, you can already read the area displaying the next available pick up time. From what I noticed, the pick up time is often set after the next 5 working hours but I guess that this will definitely change later on, depending on the number of pending orders per store.
However, you can choose another convenient day / slot for the pick up. Probably it is the same for the truck delivery service which we will talk afterwards.
Click & Collect team
While some Winners outlet have a dedicated Click & Collect counter (for example Quatre Bornes), other usually use the “Accueil” area for delivering products to the customers (Example; St Pierre). But eventually, I think that these outlets are going to have their own counter.
So, how does it work when you reach a Winners supermarket to collect your items?
- Head to the Click & Collect counter (if available) or to the “Accueil area.
- Just mention that you have an e-commerce order. (In general, just say that to anyone in Winners, and within seconds, you will get someone rushing to you – Yes! literally!).
The staff uses their walkie talkie to communicate among themselves to announce arrival of an e-commerce client - The Click & Collect team are normal staff who are specifically assigned to this service. So, whenever needed, their priority no 1 remains serving the e-commerce clients.
- Someone will ask for your name and after a few seconds, you will see your products coming in a cart with your name on the labels.
- Depending on your choice, you can counter-verify each product to make sure everything is there. I did that for the first time but the second time, I just trusted them. Everything was there, so, nothing to fear.
- You will also be informed of the non available products and substituted ones.
- If you haven’t paid through the online system, you will then be required to settle the amount.
Delivery up to your vehicle
Another great benefit of this Click & Collect service is that someone (or more) from the Click & Collect team actually take your cart and accompany you to your vehicle. They also help you to load your stuffs in your vehicle.
That’s pretty awesome 🙂
E-Brochure
Just a few days back, Winners launched its clickable e-brochure which allows you to browse through promotional products, like any other brochure but the cool stuff about this is that you can click on the items, choose the quantity from the small popup and add that to your cart.
Home delivery services
This delivery service has been launched only a few weeks back and is being tested in 3 regions surrounding the following stores; Quatre Bornes (Candos), Coromandel and Rose Belle.
Update (22 May 2019) : Delivery now available in 5 regions – Coromandel, Cascavelle, Quatre Bornes, Rose Belle et Goodlands
Each region has a dedicated van assigned and it is very easy to spot them. The delivery guys have a mobile card machine with them, so you can pay them on the spot. It seems that the delivery service is really a success. Coupled with the e-commerce web site, this totally removes the need of the client to go to a store, either to choose products, pay or collect the purchased products.
Price ?
The Home Delivery service is free if your amount is greater than Rs 2, 500. If your order is less than this amount, then a flat fee of Rs 125 is charged.
Now, if ever products were not available and your amount dropped below Rs 2, 500, you won’t need to settle the flat delivery fee.
Payment
At check-out, you can opt to settle their account immediately with their credit card or they can also opt to pay either when collecting the items in the store or when the items are being delivered at their doorsteps.
What happens when products were not available?
As mentioned earlier, it may happen that some products are not available in store or in required quantities at that point of time. In these cases, if the amount was settled through a credit card, a request to reimburse the amount difference is issued to the bank and the necessary should be done within 7 days if I’m not mistaken.
Personally, I pay my due amount when collecting my items in the store. Hence, the exact amount is charged on the spot.
Customer satisfaction
By becoming closer to the customers, the Click & Collect and Home Delivery Services aim at creating a relationship between Winners and the customers in order to encourage them to use these services, which I would call as some sort of Premium service in the country.
I know that other supermarkets do provide free delivery but Winners seem to want to add some human touch to the whole experience. They are building up some new kind of business strategy to encourage people to buy from their stores.
Where are you shopping next?
I personally loved both times I used the Click & Collect service. Nothing to complain. Flawless. The whole process and strategy were very well designed and planned, from the web site, to the SMS and email notifications, the team’s dedication and up to the delivery to your vehicle.
As compared to a couple of years back, Mauritians are now very positive about e-commerce and less reluctant to carry out online purchases. While some people still have that fear of using their credit cards online, cash on collect or on delivery fits the situation very well. I should also salute the introduction of these great innovative ideas in the shopping and retail market of the island.
Anyone tried the Click & Collect or Home Delivery service?
Please share your experience.
Yashvinblogs 