During the 2016 holiday season, nearly a third of shoppers purchased products online and subsequently picked them up at a store. This practice is known as click-and-collect or “buy online pick up in store” (BOPUS), according to a new study conducted by Bell and Howell.
“Currently, a small portion of total purchases are completed through click-and-collect, but it is growing in use, with 49 % of Americans trying it for the first time in 2016,” says Bell and Howell senior director Haroon Abu, who led this research. “Implementing click-and-collect makes sense for retailers, as they are providing a service that is increasing in popularity, and that can help drive more impulse purchases when customers pick up their items. However, retailers should focus on creating a winning in-store experience by enabling what matters most to click-and-collect consumers: speed, convenience and timely communication.”
As part of the study, Bell and Howell randomly selected more than 530 consumers from across the U.S.to report on their click-and-collect experiences and participants also shared what’s important to them during a click-and-collect experience.
Key Findings
- More than 70 % of respondents identified themselves as experienced click-and-collect shoppers (i.e., had used this option in the previous 12 months).
- When asked to select the most important attribute of a click-and-collect experience, respondents replied with the following:
- Quick in-and-out experience – 56%
- No waiting in line –22%
- Ease of locating pickup location – 14%
- Dedicated pickup counter – 9%
- Designated parking spots – 5%
- Saving on shipping charges was the key driver (76%) when selecting click-and-collect. However, needing the item that day (54%) and proximity to another store the respondents were going to (50%) were also important.
- Speed was once again the consistent theme, as 83% expected to hear back within 24 hours after placing an order online that their item is ready for pickup. Nearly 60% expected to hear within the first four hours.
- When asked where they preferred to pick up their purchases, 56% indicated inside at the front of the store, 21% preferred curbside pickup, and only eight percent selected the back of the store.
- Eighty percent expected to be able to pick up their item in under 10 minutes from the time they enter the store, with 27% expecting it to be less than four minutes.
- Of note to retailers, 49% of respondents said they were likely to purchase an additional item some of the time when picking up their online order.
- When asked to rate specific attributes of an excellent click-and-collect experience, respondents gave their highest marks to the following:
- Filling the order accurately and in time
- Items ready at the pickup counter
- Store associates know how to process orders quickly
- Clear signage for pickup location
- Dedicated pickup counter.
