5 Things Businesses Should Know About BOPIS

Have you ever heard of the term “the best of both worlds”? That’s BOPIS.

Although it is just a feature that you can add to your eCommerce store, it changed the way businesses work, especially during the pandemic. Presently, it is the most popular way to shop and you will hardly find any successful eCommerce business that doesn’t use BOPIS.

But, what is it and why are people going crazy about this feature in the USA and all over the world? In this blog, we will answer every one of your questions related to BOPIS. 

So, let’s get started.

What is BOPIS and Why Is It Helpful?

BOPIS means buying online and picking up in-store. 

It allows eCommerce consumers to browse and shop for products online and pick from the store itself, eliminating the hassles of delivery. Basically, it is the best of both worlds for retailers as well as consumers.

Using BOPIS, customers do not have to pay delivery charges or wait for the products to get delivered. On the other hand, retailers can avoid the headache of order fulfillment while still getting the chance to upsell their products. 

For example, when customers come to pick the orders in the store, retailers get another chance to upsell and promote their products. At this time, store owners can allure consumers to see and experience the products they searched online in the past, with the help of push notifications. 

This strategy can improve sales by up to 40%.

But, before leveraging this feature in your retail eCommerce business, let’s read above the five most important things that you must know about BOPIS.

5 Important Things to Know About BOPIS

BOPIS is an efficient tool for eCommerce business owners and retailers. But, is it too good to be true? Let’s find out.

1) Customers Love BOPIS

The perception around a tool or feature impacts an organization’s sales directly. That’s the reason why you must choose every single function of your online store carefully.

Consumers view BOPIS as a positive feature that helps them avoid hassles and save money. It became popular during the time of COVID but it looks like BOPIS is here to stay.

According to a report by Mckinsey, 56% of the surveyed eCommerce consumers say that they would like to use BOPIS continuously even after the pandemic. Let’s see why:

• It provides convenience: Online shoppers are looking for comfort and BOPIS seems to provide the same. During the pandemic, consumers desired to limit their time in stores so they started looking for products online. It is now the new norm and BOPIS is here to stay.
• No delivery fee: Along with comfort, this feature also helps consumers save time and money. Since there will be no shipping charges, a customer can save up to $5 on a single order.
• Saved Time: If customers need a product immediately, it’s a lot quicker to order an in-stock thing on the web and have it prepared for pickup in an hour than it is to wait for two days or longer for an Amazon delivery. Delivering products to consumers fast is crucial, and BOPIS can offer precisely that.

2) Retailers Can Not Ignore BOPIS

Retailers are also understanding the advantages of BOPIS and trying to accommodate this strategy in their business. BOPIS provides retailers a chance to offer an omnichannel experience while helping them sell more and fast. Here’s how:

• Increased Chances of Sales: When customers go in-store to get their products, they might be enticed to glance around and explore additional items. Or they might have neglected to add something different they need to their online cart. As a retailer, it is a perfect opportunity for you to increase sales.
• Better Inventory Management: With BOPIS, organizations will never need a different online and offline inventory framework. Orders can be processed both from the store shelves and distribution centers, providing retailers access to a large inventory. By using this method, retailers will have a better idea of what’s available in their inventory.

3) But, BOPIS Doesn’t Come Without Challenges

While BOPIS can be an amazing strategy for retailers to increase sales and provide an amazing eCommerce customer experience. But, if not managed well, it can also generate some unsatisfactory results for all the stakeholders involved.

Here are some of the challenges associated with the BOPIS strategy:

• Unmanaged Inventory: There are times when even leading eCommerce organizations like Amazon can’t maintain specific inventory demands. It’s essential to watch out for what’s selling so you can keep them loaded up. Your Point of Sale (PoS) should be in steady communication with all other frameworks involved to make sure you have what is needed.
• Crowded Stores: BOPIS can invite crowds to your physical stores. Well, it is a good thing but if you do not manage the crowd properly, it will be disheartening for your consumers. For example, during the holiday season, a lot of consumers make use of BOPIS to shop conveniently while still getting a chance to explore the stores, resulting in long queues at the front of stores. 

So, if you integrate BOPIS, make sure you have plans in place to manage the crowd.  Maybe hire designated staff for fulfilling BOPIS orders only.

Wrapping Up

So if you are a physical store owner with an eCommerce presence who isn’t utilizing the BOPIS feature yet, you might need to begin searching for its benefits and how successful businesses are implementing this strategy for generating millions in revenue.

Using BOPIS, you’ll provide online shoppers with an amazing CX that has been proven to increase conversions. To offer a successful BOPIS experience, all you need is:

• An online store or mobile app
• One or more brick-and-mortar stores
• A location where people can easily come to get orders
• Real-time inventory management capabilities

Or, if you think your business still lacks the resources to implement a feature like BOPIS or your eCommerce business processes are not well-aligned, get in touch with experts at Envision eCommerce.