Buy Online, Pick-up In Store: The Hybrid Shopping Experience of the Future

A lot has changed in the past few years, a global lockdown has resulted in many changes to the way we live, for better or for worse. This includes the way that we shop. Buy online, pick-up in store (BOPIS) is one of many innovations that came from the pandemic as shoppers demanded a way to get their items quickly without shopping in-person.

BOPIS has changed the way customers shop by integrating the accessibility of inventory that comes from online shopping, with the fast timeline of in-person shopping. Sounds great, right? For customers, this is a revolutionary shopping innovation, but for retailers, it can be a challenge.

Let’s discuss the benefits of adopting a BOPIS option for your business as well as some of the challenges you might face during the switch.

LOWER SHIPPING COSTS

As product is being sourced either from a local warehouse or from the store itself, that means lower shipping costs! Packaging and labor costs can add up quickly, BOPIS can remove a lot of those variables. Plus, it’s better for the environment!

FASTER SERVICE

Since customers don’t have to spend time wandering the store and they don’t have to worry about delayed shipping times, this option allows transactions to process faster than any other fulfillment option.

INVENTORY ACCESS

Customers don’t have to worry about the store being sold out of the items they want, since they have access to inventory information while they’re shopping online. This is just another way to make the process smoother and get the items to the customer as fast as possible!

DECREASED CART ABANDONMENT

Delivery times and shipping costs are two of the main reasons for cart abandonment, BOPIS can help decrease cart abandonment and turn hesitant shoppers into real sales.

Though these benefits are promising, it can be difficult to integrate, and poses some challenges.

SYNCHRONIZE INVENTORY

You’ll need the right technology to support integrating in-store inventory management with your warehouses or other store locations. When you source inventory across multiple areas, this will require you to update inventory data across all channels in real time.

MORE SPACE FOR INVENTORY

More fulfillment options mean more orders. If you’re fulfilling more orders, then that could mean that you’ll need more physical space for storing inventory.

COST

You’ll need to invest in labor, as your staff will be fulfilling orders placed online while also tending to other store procedures. You will have to invest in a system and staff that can handle many orders.

Changes in customer needs can be overwhelming, but it’s necessary for the success of your business to evolve with these changes and grow. Virid can help you keep up with changing customer demands and understand what they want so you can help each other.