Buy Online, Pick Up in Store (BOPIS) Isn’t Going Anywhere – Here’s How to Adjust Your Customer Experience

The last year revolutionized how retailers think about online shopping and how it merges with the in-person, in-store experience. At this point, thousands of retailers have implemented some sort of buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) strategy, and consumers have come to expect it from big and small brands alike.

The way in which people shop has fundamentally changed, with U.S. eCommerce sales reportedly increasing by more than 30 percent in 2020. While ordering online and having something delivered to your doorstep within the next few business days is an appealing convenience, many brands are offering incentives for people to still come and visit in-store (or curbside) for pickup.

So, why is this? By eliminating third-party variables like shipping carriers, brands can gain more control over the entire customer experience. And they can also start weaving the in-person experience back in with the online experience which helps boost profitability.

Despite customer expectations heightening and everyone becoming more accustomed to the BOPIS model, consumers are still impressed when brands find a way to personalize every touchpoint – whether that’s in-person or digitally. Currently, many brands have yet to fully take advantage of how they can connect the digital experience with the in-person experience. So when brands do, customers are pleasantly surprised and therefore continue to build loyalty (if you want to read more about how emotion breeds customer loyalty, check out this article).

If you send a personalized Note to a customer thanking them for their curbside pickup or a survey asking for specific feedback, there’s still a sense of almost wonder about how big brands can offer such a personalized experience. These are also great upsell opportunities to get your customers to join your loyalty program quickly in-app or perhaps offer them a coupon for their next purchase. The options are endless.

“Our research found that 38.3 percent of merchants think that consumers commonly use BOPIS, while just 10 percent of consumers say they use BOPIS often or always,” according to the Global Digital Shopping Index. “Our research also found that 56.1 percent of consumers regard free shipping for digital orders as an important feature — approximately 1.6 times the share that merchants estimated.”

So, how will businesses remain successful as BOPIS continues to be normal practice – even after the world has gone back to “normal?” We agree with Nikki Baird, VP of Retail Innovation at Aptos – over-communication is key. Doubling down on customer communication and service will make customers feel less in-the-dark when their digital experience goes wrong. For example, when an in-app feature experiences a bug, mobile teams need to quickly communicate to customers how the problem is being addressed, a clear timeline, and then follow-up after it’s been resolved. This type of proactive communication is key. Another piece of over-communicating effectively is properly onboarding and walking customers through the BOPIS experience. It can be very confusing to have an email, text, in-app notification, and a voicemail all saying the same (or sometimes, unfortunately, different) instructions. Customers don’t really know where to go for information. Streamlining all of this within your mobile experience gives them one central hub to get all information. You want to make things as smooth and easy as possible – especially when they’re going through the experience for the first time.

The success of BOPIS relies heavily on providing a seamless, convenient experience. When people could just sit at home and get the same items delivered in a few days, there’s little room for error. You don’t want to give them any excuse to go elsewhere, and you want to win their loyalty so they keep coming back time and time again. It’s all about reducing friction.

In summary, here are the key ways to provide a seamless and successful BOPIS experience:

1. Streamline your communication through one channel: your mobile app
2. Over-communicate throughout all steps of the customer journey from onboarding, to purchase, to pick-up, to post-sale
3. Proactively seek feedback at every touchpoint, but especially after the pick-up has been completed in order to quickly identify friction points and resolve issues
4. Close the loop once a problem has been resolved with a customer and give them a reason to keep coming back time and time again

The thing that differentiates BOPIS from some of the other innovations and processes developed out of necessity during the pandemic is this: BOPIS is not going away. This new shopping experience is here to stay, even after the need for safety and staying home goes away. The investments you make in your mobile experience and connecting it to these in-person experiences are going to set your business up for success in the long-term. Apptentive should be one of those investments if it isn’t already – learn more today!