Buy Online, Pick Up In Store (BOPIS) is a fast-growing omnichannel strategy that many retailers are beginning to implement. It has become a sort of lifeline for retailers and is the delivery method of choice for more than 50% of consumers as well. That’s because it is not only swift and convenient but also saves consumers money that would otherwise be spent on covering shipping fees. 

With the holiday season just around the corner, can retailers truly rely on BOPIS to overcome carrier challenges, navigate peak periods successfully, and drive sales? Yes! 

In this article, we will discuss why that is possible and how you can drive more in-store traffic using BOPIS.

Why is BOPIS perfect for holiday sales?

Shopping behaviors are evolving rapidly and customers want to be able to shop in multiple ways using different options that guarantee speed, choice, and comfort. And since they are now heading back in-store to do their shopping, an omnichannel solution like BOPIS or click and collect provides the perfect solution to improve holiday shopping drastically. 

According to CEO Brian Cornwell, Target’s findings showed that customers found in-store pickup to be convenient and, based on the data pulled, 80% of products bought online from November to December were fulfilled in stores.

Thanks to the pandemic, many customers are using BOPIS regularly. During the 2019 holiday season, sales made through BOPIS already saw a 35% revenue increase. A deeper investigation into this fulfillment strategy provides solid reasons why click-and-collect can make life much easier for brands and customers during the holiday season. Consider some of them below:

• Navigate carrier challenges

eCommerce businesses count on national shipping carriers such as USPS, UPS, and FedEx to get online orders delivered to their customers. While the overdependence on major carriers for delivery and fulfillment poses challenges already, the issues become much more complex during the holiday season when retailers receive an influx of online orders. While retailers have to ship large volumes of orders during this period, shipping carriers usually lack the capacity to send out such large volumes, eventually leading to delays and losses.

To get around these issues, retailers can promote BOPIS during the holiday season. Store-based fulfillment will be key in achieving speed and convenience as retailers bring fulfillment locations closer to customers. By converting your current brick-and-mortar retail stores into fulfillment centers, you can provide a better holiday customer experience that eliminates delays by reducing over-reliance on carriers and increases fulfillment speed by allowing customers to pick up their orders at the nearest local store. 

• Appeal to Gen Z consumers

BOPIS is becoming popular among the Gen Z consumer base which wields over $140 billion in purchasing power. 58% of 1000 Gen Z shoppers surveyed were found to have opted for BOPIS when buying online. For Gen Z, they can easily get through checkout online and then head out to the nearest store in person to collect their package. Gen Z shoppers also said the BOPIS option would be an influential factor if they had to decide between two retailers for a particular item. With the holiday season around the corner, you sure do not want your brand to be the one left behind. 

• Provide convenience and instant gratification

Consumers hate to wait but that’s what carrier shipping forces them to do most times in spite of how fast the delivery might be. Shoppers expect free, fast, and convenient delivery anytime and anywhere. While online shopping provides convenience, the challenge lies in retailers' figuring out how to reduce click-to-ship time so that orders get picked, packed, and shipped on time, especially during peak seasons. BOPIS is the antidote that allows shoppers to quickly collect their online orders at the local store without having to wait too long. Statista research shows that over 80% of consumers in 2019 bought online and then collected their packages in person. 

How BOPIS can drive more sales during the holidays 

BOPIS provides an excellent platform for retailers to expand their eCommerce business by maximizing selling opportunities both online and offline. It’s the ultimate omnichannel solution that helps bridge the gap between both virtual and brick-and-mortar shopping experiences. 

You can use BOPIS to drive more customers from your eCommerce site to the nearest physical store in order to fulfill their orders faster. That is an excellent way to increase your in-store foot traffic and capture revenue that would otherwise be lost if you were not providing the option of in-person store-based fulfillment.

Statistics also prove how shoppers are more likely to shop for additional items whenever they visit the store to collect their orders. Data from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) reveals that 67% of BOPIS customers eventually buy more items when they come to pick up the initial order. So expect an increase in store-based shopping and incremental revenue when you provide BOPIS to holiday shoppers.

Make BOPIS frictionless this holiday season through omnichannel integration

Buy Online, Pick Up In Store is a great omnichannel retail strategy that offers immense benefits both for retailers and customers alike. But you must do it right so you don't risk delivering an underwhelming or confusing experience. Creating a frictionless experience requires proper omnichannel integration. 

Remember, emotions tend to be at their peak in November/December, and so do the crowds. So while you’re setting up your stores to accommodate more stock because you anticipate more BOPIS orders, you’ll also need a platform that can synchronize your eCommerce store with your brick-and-mortar stores across all locations. Such a platform must also provide:

• Real-time inventory visibility, 
• Intelligent order routing to the best store that can fulfill an order based on customer proximity, and
• Automated post-purchase communication capabilities

That’s why we built the FenixCommerce BOPIS eCommerce Platform, the all-in-one platform you need to merge your online and offline channels through BOPIS and deliver a swift, seamless, convenient omnichannel shopping experience your customers will love during the holiday season.

If you’ll like to learn more about how you can set up BOPIS before the holiday season arrives full-scale, please get in touch. Our conversion experts are happy to provide you with a free consultation on schedule.