Historically, retail experiences have been siloed – either you purchased in-store or you purchased online. The experiences and expectations for each channel were very different. Over time, shopping has evolved, and customers are beginning to expect a seamless end-to-end experience.

In a modern omnichannel solution, price, product availability, and customer service should be the same, regardless of where consumers are shopping. They’re no longer interacting with a website or a brick & mortar store; they’re interacting with your brand.

One way that retailers are beginning to close the gap between online and in-store purchases is by allowing customers to buy online, then pick-up in store – aka the BOPIS experience. Not only can BOPIS increase online sales, it also lowers barriers to purchase (like return concerns) and, when done right, can increase in-store sales.

“If available, 47% of shoppers are very likely to use the BOPIS option.”

– BOPIS CONSUMER SURVEY 2018, BIZRATE INSIGHTS

Here’s how click-and-collect services strengthen your omnichannel strategy, ultimately earning your business loyal return customers.

Remove Shipping Pains for Online Shoppers

With high costs and delayed delivery times, shipping complications can push online shoppers into retail stores. If you’re lucky, they’ll visit and purchase from your brick & mortar store, but they might look for alternatives elsewhere.

This is one area where the strengths of BOPIS stand out. Our consumer survey found that shipping-related issues are two of the top reasons shoppers prefer to use BOPIS services. These include:

1. Not wanting to pay for shipping
2. Not wanting to wait for an item to be shipped (same day pickup)

Even though online shopping is beginning to edge out in-store purchases, shopping is still very much an immediate gratification sport. Giving customers the option to handle item pick-up themselves saves their money and time, allowing them to enjoy purchases right away. Once they’re in your physical store, you can engender additional loyalty with stellar customer service – something that’s difficult to communicate online.

Offer In-Store Customers a New Experience

In addition to supporting your online shoppers, BOPIS provides an alternative for cautious and traditional in-store shoppers. It allows shoppers to ease into online buying, combining the convenience of large online catalogs with in-store physical assessment and return capabilities before taking their items home. Plus, once a customer reaffirms your legitimacy with an in-person interaction, they’re more likely to trust you enough to purchase from your website in the future, giving them new shopping options and more hours to buy.

“BOPIS creates the omnichannel experience that customers have come to expect and can engender loyalty across both in-store and online shopping experience.”

– LINDSAY MARTINEZ, DIRECTOR OF CLIENT DEVELOPMENT & PARTNERSHIPS FOR BIZRATE INSIGHTS

Make Things Easy for Everyone

Click-and-collect shopping has proven to be reliable, so it’s no surprise that 38% of all shoppers have used BOPIS at least once in the past. If it’s a clear shipping option at checkout, and stores are clearly marked and staffed to provide support, BOPIS is an effective strategy for creating a true omnichannel experience, and a great tool to strengthen your customer loyalty strategy.

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Are you already offering BOPIS? Do you want to collect insights and improve the shopping experience for BOPIS customers? Find out how Bizrate Insights can help via the Bizrate Insights Online Buyer Fulfillment Survey.