Convenience, security, and flexibility are all reasons why customers prefer BOPIS (buy online, pickup in-store). But why else should you embrace it?

Customers choose to embrace buy online, pickup in-store (BOPIS) for their online purchases for a variety of reasons, particularly around the holidays: 

  • No costs – Saves money they can otherwise spend on something else
  • More security  – Less risk of porch pirates or items being “lost in-transit”
  • Flexibility – Desires to choose a date and time for pickup that fits their busy schedule
  • Faster – Accessibility to same day or quicker collection, even if a holiday is days away

Further, customers are eager to embrace different types of BOPIS options. According to a recent study, of customers who have used BOPIS in the past:

  • 63% want to try curbside pickup
  • 56% want to try delivery to the trunk of their car
  • 50% want to pick up purchases from a locker such as a UPS Access Point

Retail Touch Point also indicates that 90% of retailers with a brick and mortar presence plan to offer BOPIS by 2021.

In other words, BOPIS is top of mind for a significant portion of online shoppers. And is expected to grow in the near future.

Why More Retailers are Offering Click and Collect

Aside from making customers happy, retailers have many incentives for using BOPIS.

Foot Traffic

For one, according to a survey from iVend, 37% of shoppers who choose BOPIS went on to make an additional unplanned purchase while they were already in the store. That means greater AOV for you.

Customer Service

Further, BOPIS provides retailers with more opportunities to interact with a shopper, allowing for a richer customer journey. 

Interacting with employees at brick-and-mortar locations allows your buyers to engage with the brand. The advice and recommendations your employees offer create a more personalized experience.

Product Upsell

Aside from the in-store experience, BOPIS is a chance for retailers to market and upsell by offering coupons, discounts and recommendations via text or email.

COPUS

Click and collect can also lead to COPUS – which stands for “customize online, pickup in store.” Yankee Candle, for example, allows customers to pick their candle’s scent and design online before picking up in-store.

Pitfalls of BOPIS

A successful BOPIS strategy relies on three key factors. If you don’t have systems in place to ensure the following, your customer’s in-store pickup experience can be less than satisfying.

1. In-stock items

Because customers use BOPIS to ensure an item is in stock, it’s vital to manage your inventory down to the exact quantity.

Otherwise, your customer may purchase an item that you can’t fulfill. 

2. Fast pick-up options

Speaking of fulfillment, many customers use BOPIS for items they need right away. This is evidenced by the vast popularity of BOPIS and curbside pickup in the grocery sector.

However, eMarketer has found that the average time it takes for retailers to fulfill click and collect orders is 46.8 hours.

As shoppers become more and more accustomed to 2-day or even next day shipping, this is a problem that retailers who want to encourage store pickup will need to solve right away. 

3. Optimized pickup

Customers expect picking up in-store to be easy.

If they still face long pickup lines or can’t find an employee who can answer their questions, their customer experience may leave them with a bad taste in their mouth about your brand.

As more and more customers come to expect the option to pick up goods in person, retailers will need to tighten up and streamline the in-store aspect of the BOPIS experience. 

How ShipperHQ Powers In-Store Pickup for eCommerce 

ShipperHQ makes it simple for retailers to enable in-store pickup. As with all of ShipperHQ’s features, BOPIS is highly customizable to fit your needs. We offer:

  • Radius options – Allow customers located within a certain radius (i.e. 50 miles) of your store the option to pick up in store.
  • Specific Location Options – Determine the closest location to your buyer, then present pickup options in a format that allows for pickup date and time selection. (For Magento and Zoey-powered stores, we also offer a map at checkout so customers can pick their location of choice.)
  • Alternative Pickup Options – Don’t have a brick and mortar presence? Or is your presence limited? No worries. ShipperHQ also allows you to ship items to UPS Access Points or FedEx HAL (Hold at Location) lockers. This gives your customers  the convenience of BOPIS even when they can’t actually visit you in-store.

Many single-location retailers choose the “radius” option, while the “specific locations” option is most valuable for retailers with multiple brick-and-mortar stores or warehouses.

ShipperHQ also allows you to “ship from store” but setting up multiple origins in your ShipperHQ account. This can cut down on shipping costs by treating your retail store as another fulfillment hub.

No matter your business’s shipping strategy, ShipperHQ allows you to offer an in-store pickup option at checkout. 

Are you ready to jump on the BOPIS train? Sign up for a free 30 day trial of ShipperHQ to start giving your customers more convenient options at checkout.