Convenience while shopping now plays a larger role compared to 5 years ago. As shoppers with increasingly busy lifestyles are constantly looking for new ways to save time and efforts, they embrace and expect convenience in every part of their retail experience. According to a survey conducted by NRF, 97% of consumers have backed out of a purchase because it was inconvenient for them. A staggering 9 out of 10 customers also stated that they were more likely to choose a retailer based on convenience1. Consumers are even willing to pay more for convenience.
Offering omnichannel fulfillment options such as Click and Collect (a.k.a. Buy Online, Pickup In-Store or BOPIS) is a powerful strategy that can help retailers meet their rising customer expectations. According to a survey by Total Retail conducted in 2019, nearly 70% of shoppers have made multiple Click and Collect purchases and a majority of them agree that it improves convenience. In addition, customers can avoid shipping costs all together by choosing to pick up their purchase in store. 48% of them stated that saving on costs was the primary reason for opting to collect their purchase in store2. This way, they don’t have to worry about potential delivery delays, charges, or theft, and they can shop at the last minute.
When they visit a store to collect their order, it also creates an opportunity for more purchases and provides a chance to build relationships or offer product insights, complementary products or maintenance advice for the item they have just bought. According to an RIS study, “90% of shoppers who do Click and Collect make an extra purchase when they pick up in a store”.
Considering all these benefits, a well executed Click and Collect program is a strategy that can give any retailer an edge over its competitors. It is surely becoming increasingly popular amongst retailers. Within 2 years, 90% of retailers expect to offer some Click and Collect options. But many retailers still face major challenges when implementing their Click and Collect program, especially in the back end.
67% of Click and Collect customers have had a bad experience of some kind
Delivering an in-store pickup experience that put a smile on your shoppers’ face is easier said than done. For instance, 24% of Click and Collect orders are not ready, despite a message saying otherwise. Shoppers will be rightfully disappointed if they come in store to collect their purchase after receiving a notification and find out that their order is not ready.
Keeping your customer in the loop after checkout and sending timely notifications is crucial for a great Click and Collect program. However, effective communications require retailers to have access to accurate data in real-time. According to research by Retail Touchpoint, in one of every five Click and Collect orders made by 18- to 29- year old customer, at least one item is out of stock. Furthermore, only 17% of retail apps display in-store quantities5. These numbers demonstrate an important opportunity lost due to not having accurate and real-time stock and product information. 66% of C-suite retail executives say that inventory inaccuracies make their BOPIS offerings inconsistent6.
In addition, offering in-store pickup can sometimes hide some potential logistical costs. For certain items, such as very large products, it might be less expensive and cumbersome to have them delivered directly at the customer’s home instead of having them shipped to a store or picked-up in-store.
Do these concerns sound familiar? Are your customers facing the same challenges when selecting in-store pickup? By recognising these most common pitfalls encountered by retailers, you will be able to take the first step in creating a seamless Click and Collect experience that will exceed your customers’ expectations.
How to overcome most common challenges?
In order to access your stores’ inventories in real-time and fulfill orders from your local stores, it requires state-of-the-art omnichannel order management able to consolidate your online and physical operations. Only with end-to-end visibility across all your inventory, both from your stores and distribution centers, can you push out new strategies to deliver more convenience to your customers without the potential hassles. You will also succeed in fulfilling orders from the most appropriate location at all times.
Orckestra's API-first omnichannel order management and fulfillment solution can be easily integrated with your current technology ecosystem to help you manage very complex fulfillment scenarios across all your retail channels. For any help in taking the first steps or guidance for building a seamless Click and Collect experience, please don’t hesitate to contact our experts.
In the meanwhile, we also have five tips that will help you implement your BOPIS program successfully.
