Marks & Spencer has continued its click and collect service four months after a cyber attack gripped the much-loved British retailer.
After hackers targeted the supermarket, its online system stopped working across nationwide stores over the busy Easter Weekend in April earlier this year.
Dedicated shoppers were left unable to access key aspects of the major brand, from contactless payments being halted and online orders via its website and mobile app put on pause.
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Since the cyberattack, the retailer has reinstalled many aspects of its online service
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Now, the retailer has slowly but surely returned to its normal service, which is sure to send online shopping fans into a feverish frenzy.
Click and collect lets shoppers purchase products online and then pick up at shops for a later date, which can be scheduled by the buyer.
Head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown Susannah Streeter said: “It’s been a long slow journey to regain operational fitness, but Marks and Spencer has finally rebuilt its digital muscle.
“It’s clearly welcome news that click and collect services are back up and running after months of disruption. The recovery is a little behind the timeline set out back at the company’s AGM in July.”
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She added that there will be “high hopes” the brand could “put this highly problematic chapter behind it”. In early trading, shares have risen by approximately two per cent, indicating a "warmer sentiment" to the brand.
In other good news for M&S lovers, the top chiefs at the brand reinstated its Sparks membership scheme in its entirety for loyal customers.
The welcome news has come after, in spring, the company shut down various outlets when hackers took aim at its IT systems.
As a result, some customer personal data, possibly including names, email addresses, home addresses and dates of birth, was stolen.
The stalwart paused many online services, including click and collect
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During the attack, the stalwart confirmed that the hack was driven by “human error”, forcing the brand to swallow £300million in costs.
In July, top M&S chief Stuart Machin forecast that his company would continue running its operations in their entirety again by August.
“However, the IT reboot and overhaul was also a chance to accelerate its digital transformation agenda, which is why it may have taken a little longer than initial forecasts,” Streeter explained.
Other brands such as the Co-op and Harrods were plagued by cyberattacks over the past few months, setting off waves of disconcertion up and down the high street.