BOPIS Retail Strategy

What is BOPIS?

BOPIS stands for buy-online-pickup-in-store. The practice of offering BOPIS has grown as shoppers become too busy to browse items in-store and are more comfortable buying online. BOPIS allows retailers to blend the online and in-store experience to engage with customers while offering a more convenient way to shop.

It allows consumers to shop and place orders online and then pick up their purchases at the brick-and-mortar store, often within the same day. The BOPIS strategy is also referred to as click and collect, curbside pickup, and ROPIS (reserve online, pick up in-store). With BOPIS, shoppers don’t have to deal with shipping costs, long delivery timelines, and shipping back items that don’t fit or meet their expectations.

Retailers around the world are adopting the BOPIS model to meet customer expectations. This popular retail strategy gives customers the best of both worlds by integrating online shopping and in-person pickup.

A BOPIS fulfillment functionality enabled on the Salesforce storefront, or mobile app avoids time-intensive customer browsing sessions in-store and guarantees that an item is available for purchase. It's a good way for customers to save last-mile shipping costs and avoid wasted time sitting at home waiting for the ordered product to arrive. This approach also gives customers a better consumer experience when buying products in person and allows them to move seamlessly between selling channels as they see fit.

How does BOPIS work?

The BOPIS shopping experience provides customers with the flexibility to choose how they want to fulfill their orders. Packages will often be stored at the customer service desk or in a designated location for in-store pickups. For many retailers, the largest challenge in this business model is reducing the time it takes to process orders, select items, and package everything for pickup.

It also integrates with Salesforce Omnichannel Inventory, which offers out-of-the-box features in a basic storefront inventory tracking functionality. It works with an external inventory management system, where the external system helps in recording inventory data. Another Salesforce feature includes B2C Commerce availability, tracking, and inventory data exchange with an external system, depending on your business needs. B2C Commerce can import inventory data regularly to keep you from overselling.

Workflow of BOPIS

1. The shopper places an order on a B2C Commerce storefront and selects store pickup from a local store that has available inventory.
2. B2C Commerce triggers an API call to send the Order Confirmation message through Marketing Cloud. The order is exported to an order management system (OMS) or other internal system that processes and routes orders.
3. Marketing Cloud sends an Order Confirmation email to the customer.
4. The order management system routes pickup orders to the appropriate physical store.
5. A store associate reviews the order via an app or on the order management system console. The associate picks and packs products to fill the order. The associate triggers an action to send an email notification to the customer that their order is ready for pickup with pickup instructions.
6. An API call triggers Marketing Cloud to send the Order is Ready for Pickup message.
7. Marketing Cloud sends an Order is Ready for Pickup email to the customer.
8. The customer receives an interactive email that details pick-up instructions.
9. Upon arrival at the store, the customer picks up their order using one of the methods provided. If the customer is conducting a contactless pickup, they click an “I have arrived” link in their email to notify the store of their arrival.
10. A store associate marks the order as complete.
11. An API call triggers Marketing Cloud to send the Pickup Confirmation message.
12. Marketing Cloud sends a Pickup Confirmation email to the customer.

Benefits of BOPIS

• Faster transaction
• Increase in online orders
• Increase in store traffic
• Easier cross selling
• Customer convenience
• Reduce shipping costs

There are many benefits to the BOPIS approach. One advantage is that this approach saves money for both your company and the customer by avoiding high shipping costs. Of course, you could pass the costs on to the customer, but that too has a downside in losing competitive advantage and costs for returns.

As a consumer, you can make your purchase selections at home, in the comfort of your own environment. You won’t be bothered by other people, and you won’t be influenced by random shiny items sitting tantalizingly on the shelves around you.

Another advantage is that your business can fulfill orders faster and more efficiently as inventory movement is entirely under your control. Not relying upon third-party shipping means you are better positioned to ensure orders are filled promptly, increasing customer satisfaction, and enhancing your company’s reputation.

A definite benefit to companies with an attractive in-store design is increased foot traffic. There is no substitute for having the customer see the product in person. Many buying decisions are made spur-of-the-moment, and customers present physically in the store are more likely to make impulse purchases.

BOPIS gives you an effective inventory management system as products need to first pass through the store. Your staff can then physically assess inventory in contrast to B2C arrangements where merchandise might never physically appear in the store.

Finally, There’s also less exposure to other people. We’ve all just suffered through two years of a pandemic culture in which no one wanted to be anywhere near anyone else. Many people still have anxieties surrounding crowded environments and look for ways to avoid the aisles of a store location.

Future of BOPIS

When it comes to the future of BOPIS, it is being increasingly felt that more customers have a liking for this arrangement, given the restrictions that have been in place since COVID struck. Today, more customers are ordering online than before due to averseness towards crowded public places such as supermarkets and grocery stores.

BOPIS is popular and has demonstrated success among consumers. Take a look at these numbers that prove how shoppers are flocking to the BOPIS shopping experience.

Also, according to Statista, 83% of respondents bought items online and picked them up at the counter in 2019. 63% of respondents said they wanted to try the buy online, pick up in-store service option of a curbside pickup.

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Conclusion

BOPIS is the future of online retail, and it’s giving many retailers a fighting chance against giant eCommerce corporations.

While BOPIS is highly convenient, it can also be even more affordable. You can ensure that you’re getting the best possible prices when you’re buying online and picking up in the store.