BOPIS (Buy Online Pickup In Store)

If you Google BOPIS you’ll be met with a culinary dish rather than a winning eCommerce strategy. While the team at ChannelSight have yet to taste the spicy Filipino dish of pork or beef lungs and heart sautéed in tomatoes and spicy chillies, we know a lot about Buy Online Pickup In Store. 

Big retailers such as Amazon and Target have already taken advantage of this innovation in eCommerce, but how can it benefit your brand? Keep reading to find out. 

75% of shoppers who have used BOPIS say they are likely to make an additional purchase and 49% of shoppers made unintended purchases while picking up their items in-store

Wait, I’m Lost- What Is BOPIS?

In the world of eCommerce, BOPIS stands for ‘Buy Online, Pickup In Store’. The name in itself is pretty self explanatory, but its development over time is significant. 

BOPUS has come a long way from the early days of making an order online and collecting it at the store several hours later behind the customer service desk. The early days of the strategy provided convenience for shoppers and it incited them to make another purchase while they were at the store. Now with the emergence of Amazon’s lightning fast shipping window, BOPIS has had to adapt and reinvent itself for the current times. 

Today, BOPIS has had to offer more to compete with eRetail giants such as Amazon. Walmart has started offering a BOPIS that’s available 24 hours a day in certain locations and offering a benefits program to those who avail of the service on a regular basis. 

This is done in contrast to Target who is comfortable playing the long game. Aside from bringing curbside pickup to shoppers, they’re starting to bring in small format stores on college campuses across America. This will allow students to shop slowly throughout the summer and pick up their transactions when they arrive at college in the fall. 

The evolution of BOPIS will continue to change and shift to adapt with contemporary eCommerce needs. There’s one thing that is unchanging though, BOPIS is no longer an optional strategy for success. Retailers and brands need to be implementing BOPIS into their strategies to help bridge the gap between eCommerce and physical stores.

24% of BOPIS orders were NOT ready for pickup even though the pickup notifications were sent

Why Is BOPIS Important?

It encourages shoppers to buy more.

Have you ever experienced the effect of going to the shop to buy ‘just one thing’? Think about the last time you went to Walmart to buy milk. You walk through the aisles. You find some cereal on sale, then some floor cleaner, oh and there’s a sale on vitamins too. Suddenly you’re at the cash register, your bill has totaled over $50 and you realise that you’ve forgotten the milk. Buying online and picking up your purchase in store encourages consumers to go to the store- and hopefully pick up more items while they’re at it.

It improves customer satisfaction.

Consumers are looking for an easy and frictionless shopping experience. Giving them the flexibility to collect their items without delay on their own time, while providing them with a secure location to store their purchases all contribute to a positive customer service experience.

It can help other retailers compete against Amazon.

It’s hard to compete with the monster that is Amazon. It’s everywhere. Moreover, it is the eCommerce retailer to keep your eye on. How do other retailers compete? By providing BOPIS, retailers are able to compete with Amazon Prime’s lightning fast shipping and allows customers to collect their orders ASAP. 

BOPIS Best Practices

Make sure you can deliver. 

Did you know that 24% of BOPIS orders were NOT ready for pickup even though the pickup notifications were sent? This leads to a negative customer experience that would discourage shoppers from using BOPIS with that retailer in the future. Looking to improve customer experience while improving conversion rates and retention? Include some automation. Retailers that incorporate automation saw an increase of 28% in pickup time speed. Walmart in particular saw an improvement of 60%.

Shoppers that were notified of their order within 4 hours were 19% more likely to use the BOPIS service again and 15% of them were more likely to recommend the service to others.

Don’t delay.

Shoppers that were notified of their order within 4 hours were 19% more likely to use the BOPIS service again and 15% of them were more likely to recommend the service to others. Word of mouth can be a powerful tool for retailers. The faster the service time, the happier the shoppers. The happier the shoppers, the more likely they will be to recommend your BOPIS services to others.

Think about all devices. 

Consumers are now shopping (and thinking) outside of the box. Your website should be optimized for not only shoppers on a desktop, but also those who shop on mobile devices. Did you know that 61% of shoppers used a desktop, while 39% shopped with a mobile device? Furthermore, out of the 39% of shoppers using their mobile devices, only 29% of them used the recommended retailer’s app. User experience plays an enormous role in conversion and retention. Be sure that you’re considering all shoppers when implementing your strategy.

Retailers that incorporate automation saw an increase of 28% in pickup time speed. Walmart in particular saw an improvement of 60%.

You need an offline locator tool.

By offering consumers all of the information required to purchase a product online and pick up in store, brands can further enhance their consumer experience while capturing interest at its peak. ChannelSight’s Offline Locator automatically captures a consumer’s location. Allowing them to easily find where they can pick up their desired product at a local brick and mortar store. Contact us to learn more.

Book A Demo

Are you looking to upgrade your brand strategy with BOPIS? Book a demo with our qualified team and find out how ChannelSight can help you increase conversion and improve your ROI. No visit to the shops required.

Originally posted by Angela Bruni Content and Social Media Marketing Specialist on the ChannelSight Blog