Not all customers are the same: there are those who like to shop in shops, those who prefer online shopping and those who prefer a mix of physical and mobile. One example? Consumers who choose the digital channel only to buy, and turn to the traditional offline channel to collect the goods ordered.
A growing phenomenon called BOPIS, or Buy Online Pick-Up In Store.
What makes BOPIS so incredibly current, trendy and convenient for both customer and retailer?
We can tell you.
BOPIS: a secure and flexible shopping experience
Like many emerging phenomena that are changing the identity of retail, BOPIS emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic.
When walking into a shop was not an option, when online delivery was under stress and when the only way to get a product was to queue for who knows how many hours, savvy retailers worked to optimise the consumer shopping experience by trying to offer added value even in a time of great emergency.
That’s why BOPIS has emerged with great success as one of the most functional solutions: suitable for maintaining the right distance, buying safely online or via video call with video commerce platforms such as ShopCall, in-store pick-up offers flexibility, speed and control, and lets customers go to the store to pick up the purchased goods when they prefer.
A retail model that convinces: in the American market, as always a great anticipator of trends, 6 out of 10 consumers say they are interested in BOPIS and 3 out of 10 have already tried it in the last year. A growing phenomenon? Yes, of course: almost 70% of those who have taken advantage of the benefits of BOPIS say they are using it more and more frequently.
Who benefits?
Evolving your retail model by combining new services with the most innovative technologies is a good idea for everyone, but even more so for all those brands that already have both a physical and digital presence, through e-commerce or video commerce with ShopCall, and that want to bridge the gap between web sales and the offline store.
BOPIS: the benefits for customers and retailers
Are you considering integrating Buy Online, Pick-Up In Store but are not yet fully convinced that this retail model is right for you or that it will meet the needs of your customers?
Here are a few reasons that may change your mind.
Why is BOPIS beneficial for the retailer?
1. Because it increases in-store traffic and average receipts
During and after the pandemic, many people will have ordered their groceries online and collected them from a locker in front of the supermarket. This is a simple and common case of BOPIS combining the agility of online shopping with the convenience of having it soon available, without having to wait for the courier service.
Many consumers will have arrived at the supermarket and realised that they had forgotten to buy oil, water or dishwasher detergent. The customer arrives at the store and decides to go in. In addition to the missing product, they fill their trolley with fruit, meat and breakfast biscuits. A plus in the receipt which should not be underestimated and which would not have occurred if the purchase had simply been delivered to the home. Meditate, shopkeepers, meditate.
2. Because it reduces shipping costs
More and more retailers, in order to entice customers to buy on their e-commerce site or through their video commerce channel, offer free shipping on all purchases or above a certain spending threshold. An attitude that may facilitate users’ intention to buy, but which certainly has a cost for the retailer.
How can this be reduced? By proposing to the customer to come and pick up the goods whenever he wants, passing conveniently through the shop.
3. Because it facilitates stock monitoring
If you have a physical shop and you also sell online or via video commerce with ShopCall, you may find it difficult to reconstruct your inventory in real time. What’s in the shop? What has been shipped? What needs to be prepared for shipping? With BOPIS, inventory management is simplified and order processing is faster.
Why is BOPIS beneficial for the customer?
1. Because it eliminates waiting times for couriers
It’s true that ordering online is quick and easy, and filling a shopping cart is just a click away. But how long do you have to wait before you receive your products at home? Excluding the big e-commerce giants, which sometimes guarantee delivery within 24 hours, most retail brands do not take less than 72 hours to deliver the goods.
Impatient customers can opt for BOPIS: they order in one click and, if they want, can go almost immediately – depending on the availability of goods in store – to collect their purchases.
A real bonus for those who don’t like to wait!
2. Because it eliminates shipping costs
“Free shipping on orders over €89”, “free shipping except South and Islands”, “free shipping for new users”. In short: free shipping is a tangle of compromises.
It’s much better to reduce them to zero by taking the car and driving to the nearest pick-up point, which can be a shop or a warehouse, to collect your shopping in person!
3. Because returns and exchanges are quicker
Did you know that the return rate for products bought online is incredibly higher than for products bought in shop? The return rate for online retailers is 25%, compared to 8% for physical shops.
Translated? The costs for returns and exchanges are very high, both for the retailer and the buyer.
How to reduce them? With BOPIS: by going to the store to collect the goods, the customer can immediately touch the product and check whether it meets his expectations or not. If it doesn’t, returning the purchase is easy and km0!
