How BOPIS Lockers Can Help Retailers Succeed

E-commerce is growing at a staggering rate. According to Forrester, online sales will account for 17 percent of all U.S. retail sales by 2022. Additionally, online sales are projected to grow five times faster than offline sales¹. These figures should come as no surprise considering 80 percent of Americans are online shoppers and 62 percent of them make online orders every week².

However, consumers aren’t just clicking to buy and waiting patiently for their orders – they’re demanding instant gratification. Over half – 61 percent – of consumers want the goods they order online to be in their hands within one to three hours of placing an online order³. That is why more and more consumers are tapping BOPIS (Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store) as their go-to shopping method. In fact, studies show that consumer adoption for BOPIS has increased by 47 percent year-over-year⁴, and 90 percent of retailers have committed to implementing a BOPIS solution by next year⁵.

With more consumers are shopping online and more e-commerce companies moving into brick-and-mortar stores, it is becoming more difficult for retailers to compete for foot traffic and revenue.

In this article, we will explore how Parcel Pending’s BOPIL (Buy Online, Pick-up In-Store) smart locker solutions can help retailers boost their revenue by executing a seamless BOPIS customer experience. This is important seeing as how more than two-thirds of shoppers told PWC they want an easily accessible and convenient shopping experience⁶.

Parcel Pending’s BOPIL locker solution equips retailers with the tools they need to execute a seamless BOPIS experience thereby saving valuable staff time, boosting operational efficiencies, and maximizing overall revenue.

BOPIL enhances customer experience by making it convenient for customers to retrieve their orders

BOPIL solutions enhance the customer experience by making it quick, easy and convenient for customers to retrieve their online orders. Customers can be in and out of the store with their goods within just seconds compared to the outdated method of waiting 10-15 minutes for a store associate to locate and provide their order.

The way BOPIL locker systems work is simple. Once an online retail order is fulfilled – be it clothing, electronics or more – the items are placed into one of the Parcel Pending lockers located at a participating retail store location. Customers are then instantly notified by text or email and provided with a unique access code that they can type or scan at the locker kiosk. They can then quickly and easily pick up their online order at their convenience by going to the retail store and entering their personal access code into the locker. What’s more, all deliveries and customer pick-ups are monitored, tracked and verified by Parcel Pending’s built-in cameras and infrared scanners to provide complete chain of custody for all orders.

BOPIL locker solutions help retailers build their brand loyalty

BOPIL is designed to free up retail staff time so they can focus on building brand relationships and loyalty with in-store customers while also driving in-store purchases. BOPIL retail solutions boost staff efficiencies by providing fewer distractions and streamlining inventory audits and online order fulfillments allowing retail staff to focus more on in-store customers and brand engagement. BOPIL solutions also eliminate the outdated, time-consuming and unproductive method of retail staff searching, coordinating and releasing online orders. When customers arrive at the store, they expect the item to be waiting for them- not the other way around. With BOPIL, the risk of lost items and delays impacting the customer pickup experience are dramatically reduced. Stale merchandise is also back on store floors faster improving the potential for sales. Additionally, BOPIL eliminate costs and errors by allowing retailers to save money on shipping costs.

Driving traffic in the door, creating more marketing opportunities & revving up revenue

By bringing a customer into the store and delivering a convenient, quick and premium experience, customers are more likely to impulsively purchase additional items since their time is no longer wasted waiting in line. In fact, 61 percent of shoppers and 75 percent of millennials who come into the store to collect their online order make an unplanned purchase⁷. More foot traffic also equates to more opportunities to market to and encourage customers to buy something. Retailers can drive additional in-store purchases by rewarding customers to utilize BOPIS via product coupons or samples in the lockers. This type of incentive helps to get customers into a retail store twice – once to pick up the online order and then again to make use of the coupon. There are countless ways that BOPIL can help retailers market to their customers.

Other key stats

• With BOPIL, retailers can save an average of 45 hours per month managing BOPIS.
• A seamless BOPIS experience makes consumers 78 percent more likely to become recurring customers.
• 61 percent of all customers make an additional, unplanned purchase when retrieving their BOPIS order with BOPIL.

Learn how Parcel Pending’s BOPIL locker solutions can help you improve your BOPIS experience and boost your revenue.

Sources:

1. Keyes, Daniel. BusinessInsider. E-Commerce will make up 17% of all US retail sales by 2022 – and one company will be the main reason. (2017, August 11). https://www.businessinsider.com/e-commerce-retail-sales-2022-amazon-2017-8#:~:text=Forrester%20predicts%20that%20online%20sales,cited%20by%20Digital%20Commerce%20360.
2. Smith, Aaron & Andersen, Monica. Pew Research Center. Online Shopping & E-Commerce. (2016, December 19). https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2016/12/19/online-shopping-and-e-commerce/.
3. Lindner, Matt. Digital Commerce 360. Shoppers want their online orders faster. (2016, January 21). https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2016/01/21/shoppers-want-their-online-orders-faster/.
4. Sterling, Greg. Marketing Land. Online shopping revenues will reach $126 billion by December 31, says Adobe. (2018, December 22). https://marketingland.com/online-shopping-revenues-will-reach-126-billion-by-december-31-says-adobe-254347.
5. Zebra 2017 Global Retail Vision Study. “Infographic: Reinventing Retail,” by Zebra Technologies, 2017. Zebra Technologies, https://www.zebra.com/us/en/solutions/industry/retail.html.
6. Clarke, David & Kinghorn, Ron. (2018). Experience is everything: Here’s how to get it right [Report]. PWC. https://www.pwc.com/us/en/advisory-services/publications/consumer-intelligence-series/pwc-consumer-intelligence-series-customer-experience.pdf#page=6.
7. Yoon, Sangwon. Riskified. A Field Guide to Boosting Omnichannel Success Through BOPIS. (2019, January 16). https://www.riskified.com/blog/a-field-guide-to-boosting-omnichannel-success-through-bopis/.