If you are reading this article, there’s a very good chance that you are still unsure if your Shopify Stores need Store Pickup. Even though there have been signs pointing you towards the business method, you are not yet certain that Store Pickup is something worth investing over the long term.
We understand your concerns, which is why we’ve spent a lot of time and effort to dig deep into the world of Store Pickup, both internal & externally. We’ll try our best to give you the clearest understanding of the problem and to assure you that Store Pickup is not a trend that merely exists because of COVID-19.
Table of Contents
Internal factors
First, we’ll go over the internal aspect of Store Pickup, or Buy Online Pick up In-Store (BOPIS). Assuming you’ve already known what Store Pickup is, we’ll now discuss its benefits from both the customers and the businesses’ point of view.
As for the customers, it may not be clear but every one of these reasons is essentially a bridge between the benefits of online shopping & in-person shopping.
- Online shopping allows you to search for any products, in-person shopping allows you to see them in your hands.
- Online shopping allows you to order whatever you want, in-person shopping doesn’t charge you money for delivery.
- Online shopping allows you to buy products anytime you want, in-person shopping allows you to receive them right away.
- Online shopping allows you to receive the products without visiting the stores, in-person shopping allows you to return the products without spending much time & money.
Store Pickup’s main advantages are basically the combination of both online delivery’s & in-person shopping’s benefits.
As shown above, the main reason why businesses use Store Pickup is to increase retail conversion. This is because 1 out of 2 shoppers would make additional purchases while picking up their items in store – which creates a great opportunity for businesses to make more in-store sales.
Except for the obvious reason of saving & making money, the reasons for businesses to adopt BOPIS are very different from the customers’. Demand comes with competition, and many businesses have no choice but to offer Store Pickup to not fall behind over the long run. There’s also the talk of the customers, with 15.6% of businesses use BOPIS to attract millennials & Gen Z.
Do note that through a survey of 1,000 US shoppers done by the JDA Software Group Inc. back in 2017, it is shown that 80% of shoppers who have used BOPIS were not just millennials & Gen Z, but ages 30 and older. This could be explained by the likely busy life and tight budget this demographic group possess (JDA & Centiro Consumer Pulse Report, 2017)
External factors
Now that we’re clear on the wonderful benefits of Store Pickup, it’s time for the analysis of the external environment, specifically the demand, trends & competition of Store Pickup in the upcoming years.
Demand
According to a 2019 global report by iVend Retail, Buy Online Pick up In Store is considered the most valuable aspect of the retail shopping experience for more than 4 in 10 consumers, or in other words, over 40% of consumers view Store Pickup as a must for their online shopping.
As for the United States, through a survey performed by the Infographic, almost 67% of shoppers have used Store Pickup, and 75% of shoppers are willing to use it again. The survey was completed before the rise of COVID-19, which means that Store Pickup was not at all increased by the effect of the pandemic. Better yet, the usage of Store Pickup during the pandemic has increased significantly, by over 200% compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
Similar to other countries around the world, consumers in the US also consider Store Pickup to be a deciding factor on where to shop online. 50% of respondents have chosen online stores based on whether or not they could pick up their items.
Trends
The State of Retail Survey, a survey of 3,500 US adults in 2019, suggested that 46% of US adults say they have used BOPIS, while 54% say that they have not. When asked if they are going to use BOPIS in 2020, 36% answered “No”, while 64% said yes. Of which, 12% will be using it for the first time, and 34% believe that they will be using it more than they used to.
It is also concluded that 10% of all sales will be fulfilled by this method by 2025 and 90% of retailers plan to implement BOPIS by 2021.
These are all clear signs that there is a rising trend in the usage of Store Pickup around the world even before COVID-19, further proving our thesis that Store Pickup is here to stay.
Competition
According to Business Insider, many US brands have been offering BOPIS as a solution to combat COVID-19, and many of them have gained immense success. Specifically, 53% of participants stated that they have used BOPIS at Walmart, 29% of them have used BOPIS at Target, 25% at Best Buy, 19% at KOHL’S and 8% at Macy’s.
With all that’s going on, now might be a good time to jump on the bandwagon, to gain some profit & market shares in the fast-changing world of Store Pickup.
Conclusion
We’re done! We have finally gone through all the internal and external factors that have an effect on Store Pickup, now and in the near future. From the appealing benefits of Store Pickup to its rising demand & trends, it’s clear that Store Pickup will not be going away anytime soon.
We hope that our work has provided you with a deeper understanding of Store Pickup and its future so that you could decide whether or not it is right for your Shopify stores.
