HMV wants you to come in-store and save on postage

HMV is continuing its struggles to stay relevant in an increasingly digitally dominated media world, by offering a click and collect system, where users can reserve online and then buy and collect in-store. This saves on postage, which the company likely takes a small loss on – since it offers it for free on every item – while opening up the possibility that you'll impulse buy something else while picking up your newly acquired purchase.

However, don't expect to reserve an item and then show up for it a week later. According to the terms and conditions, you'll need to pick it up within two days, or the purchase order will be cancelled. Since you're paying in-store though instead of online, that shouldn't bother the consumer as much as it does HMV.

This is a scheme that's worked well for other companies such as Argos and PC world, so it's hoped by the higher ups that HMV will be able to repeat that success. With the company's intended focus on hardware like headphones, getting more people in-store is a smart plan, as when it comes to audio equipment, there is little that can sell a product better than actually having the customer listen to it.

This is also an initiative that allows the retailer to advertise its prices in-store as being the same as online, a move that makes it sound as if the prices at the retail outlet are good.

The future of the company was called into question again recently, when the newly departed HMV boss Simon Fox said, that he wouldn't bet his house on the company still being around in 2021 – the year that HMV Group turns 100.

KitGuru Says: Do scheme's like this really help, or are they just a PR gimmick designed to make prices seem lower? What do you guys think?

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