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Buy Online Pick up In Store

4 Reasons To Offer Buy Online Pick-Up In Store Same-Day

by Divesh Dutta |

Let’s cut to the chase: if you’re not already offering a Buy Online Pick-Up In Store (BOPIS) same-day option to your customers, you should be. Premium retailers provide a variety of purchase, pick-up, and return options because, frankly, consumers are demanding unprecedented convenience and flexibility from their shopping experience.

With so many options available on every street corner and social media channel, consumers are no longer willing to settle for week-long delivery timelines or out-of-stock waitlists; they can just move on to the next brand. To stay ahead of the competition, you’re going to have to keep up with the newest omnichannel trends and that means offering a Buy Online Pick-Up In Store same-day option to your customer base.

In this article, we’ll walk you through 4 reasons why you should adopt same-day in-store pick-up this year (even if your brick-and-mortar stores don’t play a big role in your retail strategy).

Minimize Shipping Costs (For Everyone Involved)

Picture this retailer’s nightmare: your customer is about to check out on your website, but abandons the cart altogether when they see the costs associated with fast delivery. Shipping costs are an unexpectedly common deterrent for online shoppers, with 95% of eCommerce shoppers admitting that delivery fees impact their purchase decision and 36% abandoning their carts.

Same-day in-store pick-up allows you to reduce or eliminate these shipping costs for your consumers and, by extension, maximize online sales. Customers can choose to pick up at a nearby store (either one of your brick-and-mortar locations or a wholesaler) to reap the benefits of quick delivery without the dreaded shipping costs. Buy online pick-up in store same-day is one of the most powerful levers you can pull to save the sale, because the same-day turnaround time attracts customers who want the product ASAP, but aren’t willing to pay the hefty shipping cost.

But wait, there’s more! The cost benefits of in-store pick-up don’t stop with the consumer. You can save millions by leveraging in-store inventory or routing orders from nearby stores instead of shipping from faraway warehouses.

Increase Foot Traffic

Every retailer in the world has heard of the “retail apocalypse,”and is doing everything possible to avoid it for their own brand by incentivizing in-store visits. Offering same-day BOPIS increases foot traffic at your brick-and-mortar locations by adding an in-person component to historically eCommerce-only transactions. Your store associates can meet and converse with customers, instilling brand loyalty and improving the overall shopping experience. Even if you don’t have physical stores and rely instead on wholesalers, such as Nordstrom or Saks, BOPIS serves to demonstrate the value of a continued partnership. Flexible pick-up and return options ensure your store is never empty, and your customers can interact with your brand across both online and offline channels. Not to mention the increase in sales you’re almost guaranteed to experience when you implement a buy online pick-up in store same-day fulfillment option.

Maximize Average Order Value

Once your customers have entered your store to pick up their click and collect order, it’s time to upsell. Some of this occurs naturally; as the customers walk through racks of clothing or aisles of product to approach the checkout counter, they can’t help but browse the other options available. Maybe they pick up something new and add it to their basket on their way out the door. Maybe they make a mental note to come back or buy online if they're in a rush. Either way, the in-store visit has increased the customer’s AOV (average order value) with no added work on your plate.

We highly recommend educating your store associates on the importance of upselling BOPIS customers. Comprehensive and consistent incentive programs are a must to ensure store associates participate in the omnichannel buying journey. For example, many companies compensate store associates for upselling eCommerce clients when they pick up orders in-store, either directly through commissions or by considering them for upcoming promotions. Whichever compensation structure you choose, make sure every member of your organization is united behind a common omnichannel vision.

Maximize Customer Satisfaction

We’ve saved the best for last. The number one reason you should offer a buy online pick-up in store same-day option is simple: customers love it. And every step in your omnichannel retail journey should be guided by the goal of delivering the most optimal experience to your customers across digital and in-person channels.

Instead of paying high shipping costs to access the lightning-fast fulfillment they desire, customers can choose to buy now and pick up at their earliest convenience – within hours of placing the order! While your specific order fulfillment turnaround time may vary, the key is to understand your customers’ needs and your store flow. A fulfillment window of 3 to 4 hours is a standard goal, because it allows shoppers to collect morning orders in the afternoon, and afternoon orders in the evening.

Same-day BOPIS can also be an ideal option for customers that are unable to pick up their purchase themselves or are buying a gift for someone else. You can allow friends or family to pick up online orders as long as they have the confirmation email and a photo ID. Modern consumers want the fastest and easiest path to checkout, and they expect retailers to be flexible and nimble enough to offer a great shopping experience across online and offline channels. If you want to stand out against your competition, there’s no better way than by offering the gold standard of convenience: buy online pick-up in store same-day

 

 

Now that you know what the benefits are, you're probably wondering how to get started on offering buy online pick-up in store same-day to your customers. Unfortunately for retailers, same-day click-and-collect is only easy for the customer. If your infrastructure isn’t built to accept and fulfill omnichannel orders, you’re better off giving up on same-day BOPIS altogether.

So, step #1 is to evaluate your current systems. Does your retail platform or partner support unified commerce? Are your store associates prepared to handle online orders and upsell eCommerce customers? Is your logistics team prepared for the order management and supply chain complexities associated with omnichannel fulfillment? It’s critically important to work with an omnichannel solution provider that can achieve your desired shopping experience.

Request a consultation with the HotWax Commerce team to discover our best-in-class buy online pick-up in store same-day solution