Benefits of Buy In Store, Pick Up Online and How Small Businesses Can Use It
At some point in our lives, we’ve probably all bought something online and selected the option to pick it up in the store, or we at least know someone who has. Nearly every large business you can think of has this option. Target, Lowes, Walmart, Apple, Best Buy and even the Dollar Tree let customers buy online and pickup in store (BOPS). In fact, in the last year alone, 57% of online shoppers reported that they had picked up one of their online orders in the store.
It’s hard to see any downside to this option, for retailers and for the customers. Customers can browse inventory, research the brand, read reviews and make their purchases all from the comfort of their home. They can then skip shipping costs by swinging by the store during a time that’s convenient for them, like during their lunch break or when they’re out running errands. Some businesses even offer parking spaces designated for quick pickup, saving the customer even more time and hassle.
For retailers, providing a BOPS option opens up many opportunities to increase customer satisfaction, increase sales and decrease spending. By eliminating the shipping process, retailers are able to offer customers the products that they want quicker, and save money by not having to process shipments. Customers are generally the happiest when they have the choice in how they want to shop, and this service provides just that.
If you’re a small business owner, you might be thinking, “How do I compete with that?” Large brick-and-mortars have this popular service that they offer and they’re capitalizing off of it. However, what you might not have realized is that the trend of buying online and picking up in stores is not just for big businesses. Anyone can do this, whether you have over 100 locations across the country or just one brick and mortar store.
If you want to provide this service and avoid some of the challenges that come with it, you need a software to manage your inventory and track your orders. The Shopify POS System is what we recommend. The Complete Kit, which you can buy through eComIntegrate, tracks your day-to-day sales and controls and updates your inventory. When a customer is purchasing one of your products and makes it to the check out page, they will be able to choose the “Pick Up in Store” option. You can set up your site through Shopify POS to let customers know about the dates and times your store is open and pick up is available. For a more in depth explanation of all the benefits of the Shopify POS System, click here.
Even though you now know about the software that can make BOPS possible for your small business, you might not know how to go about setting it up or using it afterwards. EComIntegrate offers seamless integration services and training so that you can begin using your Shopify POS and offer BOPS right away. Contact us for a free consultation and figure out how to elevate your business.
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