Why the Curbside and BOPIS Solution is Here to Stay
When the pandemic hit, many retailers wasted no time in adopting the “buy online, pickup in store” (BOPIS) solution to safely meet both the needs of their customers and the new health restrictions. At the time, it was a move necessitated out of desperation to remain alive and profitable during the global health crisis.
Now, several months after the sudden shift to online shopping, it’s clear that the adaptations these retailers adopted are more than just quick fixes — they’re representative of new long-term, sustainable changes that can (and do) benefit both company and consumer.
The modern retail environment is all about convenience. And, while traditional online shopping has helped fulfill that need to some degree, it’s lacked the personal touch that is so often essential to a truly exceptional customer experience. Enter curbside and BOPIS, in-store pickup solutions that blend the best of both worlds by offering consumers the convenience they need in their busy lives with a splash of human-to-human interaction that’s at the center of creating enduring brand relationships.
Already, it’s clear that curbside and BOPIS are more than just safety measures or time-limited trends. In fact, they may just be the future of ecommerce as we know it.
Why customers love a curbside and BOPIS retail strategy
BOPIS and curbside services are expected to continue long after the pandemic is over. This is great news for customers, who are enjoying the added confidence, time savings, and contactless payments that these strategies allow for.
According to Business Insider Intelligence, nearly 70% of shoppers in the U.S. had already used BOPIS more than once prior to 2020. Among the reasons given for why it was such an attractive option:
- 73% said they wanted to avoid shipping fees
- 32% participated because the store was nearby
- 30% explained they didn’t want to wait for delivery
- 22% were already on their way to shop at the store
- 9% were afraid of their delivery being stolen
- 7% wanted to use a coupon that allowed them to pick up in-store
For retailers who already had a BOPIS option in place prior to the pandemic, they were well-suited to the adjustments necessitated by the need for social distancing. Curbside pick-up capitalized further on this trend, adapting the BOPIS method to allow for customers to remain in their cars instead of having to venture into the store to pick up their orders.
Benefits of curbside & BOPIS for retailers
It’s not just customers who have a lot to gain from the growing popularity of curbside and BOPIS pickup options. Retailers too are getting a lot of benefits, providing further proof that these trends are here to stay.
Some of these benefits include:
Better in-store personalization. Curbside and BOPIS bring more personalization to the in-store experience, offering retailers a chance to engage with their shoppers on a first and/or last name basis and offer one-on-one service with every order.
Clear and fast pickup processes. Successful curbside and BOPIS operations require efficiency in the pickup process, and stores that have taken note are scoring big points with their customers. Everything from simple curbside pickup communications to fast in-store checkouts help amplify the customer experience — and show that you care about your customers’ health and safety.
More data-driven opportunities. Data drives great curbside and BOPIS experiences. It also supports better experiences in the future, with more opportunities to collect, track, and analyze data around individual customers and provide them with targeted content and custom recommendations.
Curbside and BOPIS are destined to be the future of the in-store retail experience, and there’s no better time than now to work out the kinks. Make sure you’re streamlining your processes as much as possible, and develop a go-to strategy for ensuring a great experience from the moment your customers check out their purchase to the moment they drive away with their order.