Today more and more shoppers are using stores as pickup points. In fact, according to a survey by Adobe, the number of the shoppers that opted for this Buy Online/Pick Up In-Store (BOPIS) ordering was rising during the holiday season of last year.
“Click and collect, is up 47% this holiday season compared with last year, according to new data from Adobe.”
Retailers are skeptical about this new omnichannel shopping experience and are trying to find effective ways to meet the rising needs of their shoppers. Leading retailers have already enhanced their offerings with BOPIS along with other pickup options for their customers.
According to Retail Touchpoints, 90% of them planning to offer BOPIS by 2021 and 75% will be able to identify specific customers in the store and have the ability to customize their visits.
Related: [White paper] Loyalty transformation: Reinventing loyalty for clicks and mortar. Download your free copy here.
Convenience, convenience, convenience
The top reason customers opt for BOPIS is to avoid shipping fees, followed by a 45% who used it to save time by not having to shop in the store. Convenience is key for today’s shoppers but BOPIS also gives retailers the opportunity to reduce operational costs and bring customers back to brick-and-mortar stores for additional purchases.
70% of consumers who are aware of buying online and picking up in-store had tried it, and the top reason for doing so was to avoid paying for shipping.
National Retail Federation (NRF)
More pickup options
Ordering items online for in-store pickup is one option. But there are other ordering options too to attract consumers. In France, for example, retailers have tried another approach, which turned out to be quite successful according to eMarketer principal analyst Karin von Abrams; shoppers order and pay online but collect from other distribution point in person. This gives them the flexibility to decide on what time they get the order and also check their purchases for potential errors before driving away.
Get to know the multi-channel shopper
To effectively reach today’s empowered and well-informed omnichannel shoppers, retailers should change the traditional channel-focused mentality and invest heavily in understanding the value and the complex shopping behavior of the multi-channel shopper.
How?
With the right technology solution and customer experience strategy in place. Armed with technology, modern retailers can now collect valuable customer data and turn them into actionable insights to better understand their target audience. This is the only way to delight your shoppers; understand them 100% and tailor shopping experiences to their specific needs.
Related: [eBook] How to master customer insights in 4 steps. Download the eBook here!
Unify online and store metrics
What most retailers do is to focus more on the digital channels and less on delivering in-store capabilities. Although they have long understood the value of launching an effective omnichannel strategy, the physical store remains untouched. Not only they haven’t digitalized the in-store experience, but they do not have a plan for unifying the experience between the two channels.
So, to be successful, you need to get the essentials right. How? Invest in unified data.
Related: Benefits of unified customer data
Unified data enables you to optimize experiences across all touchpoints and get the most out of the relationship with your customers. From purchase history, demographic profiles and micro-moments, to email, phone calls, social media interactions, and loyalty program engagement, you can properly gather and combine customer information in one place and understand what works and what doesn’t for your multi-channel customers.
A soon as you get a holistic view that connects online and offline touchpoints, you are closer to delivering exceptional experiences to your customers.
Engage with customers in-store and in real-time
Whether they are in a physical store to pick up their online order or there to shop, shoppers are attracted by special events. According to the NRF survey, 58% are interested in going to retail events, with 87% saying they would come in for a sale or early/exclusive access to items, 80% for a product demonstration, and 69% to interact with a product expert or to visit a pop-up shop.
Related: In-store marketing: Everything you need to know
Conclusion
In the age of the customer where consumers are ultra-connected and their needs and expectations are growing, seeing retail as retail regardless of channels while following a CX-focused strategy is the key to driving more sales in retail today.
What is your plan?
