Flexible delivery options
To maximize their income, merchants must avoid returning merchandise at all costs. Flexible delivery options, such as in-store pick-up, can minimize trade and product returns while boosting sales.
In-store withdrawal allows customers to buy online and pick up their order at the physical point of sale or any other location provided for this purpose. This new trend has grown in recent years and more and more retailers are offering additional shipping options to consumers. Placements for the removal of orders in different public places (eg lockers in metro stations) are now opening up everywhere.
Order online and recover in store; the practice is in the process of becoming an unavoidable shipping option in the world of commerce. By allowing customers to check size, color, and shape before leaving with their order, and taking advantage of their in-store visit to encourage them to make purchases that complement their items, merchants Today, they are able to sell more and minimize returns while offering flexibility that is highly valued by customers.
Last year in the UK, more than half of consumers took advantage of this shipping option - and the United States does not get far behind, where nearly a third of purchases made during sales periods have been recovered in store.
In total since 2011, the use of the in-store withdrawal option in the UK has increased by 155%, and compared to last year's Christmas, an increase of 27%. This is a growth rate three times higher than that of online shopping in general.
All these statistics show that the trend will soon gain ground in Francophone countries.
With the growing popularity of this new shipping option, consumers are becoming more confident about brands. Year after year, orders placed with the in-store withdrawal option are increasing as Christmas shopping season approaches. During this crazy period of shopping, consumers place their orders online and go to the store to collect their gifts on time and in peace.
How shipping options have evolved
With technological and logistical advances, "same-day delivery" has gained ground and revolutionized the retail industry. This effectively implemented option has increased customer expectations for the online shopping experience - and e-merchants who do not offer enough flexibility may be outpaced by competitors. who do it.
For many merchants, free shipping has become an effective way to differentiate itself in recent years - but the practice is now becoming a standard to which retailers who want to compete effectively must join.
That said, statistics show that the in-store withdrawal option is clearly here to stay. Like the way Amazon changed customer expectations by starting to offer free shipping, the option of ordering online and later withdrawing the order in-store has already become essential for consumers familiar with new technologies.
With the growing number of options to land the product in the hands of the customer, it is becoming increasingly clear that in-store withdrawal is becoming the next "free shipping" in the world of physical selling, and that the option will permanently change customer expectations. In other words, in-store removal will become more of a necessity than an option. In a Wall Street Journal study, 50% of consumers preferred physical withdrawal, and 45% of consumers made an additional purchase while in the store.
In terms of profitability, it makes sense to offer in-store withdrawal as an additional shipping option. Right now, it's still a great competitive advantage that can differentiate your business, increase in-store traffic, and facilitate cross selling. Given all these reasons, it would make sense to invest now to take advantage of the craze for the trend instead of waiting longer to do so.
That said, maximizing the return on investment requires effective in-store withdrawal and ensuring the initiative is worthwhile in terms of profitability. Be sure to collect feedback from customers who opt for in-store removal to eliminate friction points and streamline the experience as much as possible. Follow not only the number of buyers who come to pick up their order in store, but also the number of customers who take advantage of their visit to make an additional purchase. If these numbers are high, you will know that you are on the right track and you will only have to continue to optimize this delivery option.
To track these indicators, you can use your point-of-sale system, inventory management software, and / or other order processing tools.
Why is in-store withdrawal also gaining popularity? If you think about it, the concept combines the best of both worlds (online and offline) for all parties - consumers and merchants. Consumers can enjoy all the benefits of online sales, but also those of an order placed in the store. No wonder people are seduced.
Convenience for Mobile Buyers
The option is perfect for mobile buyers who can, for example, place an order during the lunch break and pick it up on their way home. In addition, the option is particularly useful for remotely shopping at the supermarket and later retrieve them.
If you sell a consumer product and your customers often visit your store for replenishment, they might appreciate the ability to avoid queues. Merchants could convert casual buyers into loyal customers by providing more flexibility.
Goods removal services are also gaining popularity, from local transportation companies to lockers in subway stations. Small retailers can now offer thousands of consumer drop-off locations for even more convenience.
In the United Kingdom, just over half of online shops offer click-and-go delivery, but only about one-third of these stores have a physical removal location for this purpose. opportunity certainly deserves to be explored.
Avoid the risk of deterioration of the goods
In-store withdrawal is also ideal for bakeries, florists, and merchants who sell fragile or perishable goods. By offering in-store withdrawal, the risk of deterioration during transport disappears - which is both beneficial for your customers and your turnover. Consumers can also make customizations when picking up the order (eg choosing to arrange a bouquet of flowers in a specific way).
Reduce returns and exchanges
Let's focus a little more. The most convenient in-store withdrawal markets are clothing and footwear. It makes perfect sense from the consumer's point of view. By removing the order from the store at a convenient time, the customer can verify that the product is true to the online description, and may even try it to ensure they have chosen the correct size. Naturally, if necessary, the latter can also be assisted at the moment by the staff.
From the merchant's point of view, the situation also has several advantages, including the possibility of reducing returns as customers leave the store satisfied and with the right product in their hands.
In-Store Withdrawal: An Ideal Opportunity for Cross-selling
In addition to the benefits listed above, cross-selling also has great potential. Approximately 40% of customers who choose in-store withdrawal buy something extra - an additional purchase with an average value of £ 13 to be more precise (€ 14.6). This percentage is even higher during sales periods - 60% in the United States during the past Christmas.
So it's not about increasing your fees and the complexity of your logistics operations just to give your customers more flexibility. With effective implementation, you can avoid losses and increase your turnover.
And the potential of cross-selling is not short-lived: by focusing on in-store pick-up, you'll be able to sell more to customers who are picking up their orders in the long run.
How to implement withdrawal in store
What should merchants pay attention to? First, the first step is to prepare the order correctly and in time so that it can be recovered at the agreed time (10% of traders who participated in a study on this subject have encountered difficulties at this level).
Your team must be made to understand that store withdrawals are a major part of your business and should be handled with the same professionalism as regular orders. This will prevent customers from feeling abandoned in one way or another.
Beyond the basics, merchants can also optimize the way orders are collected in-store as well as related cross-sell initiatives.
First of all, make sure that the In-Store Pickup team is given the same value as the regular pick-up team if you want to maximize the effectiveness of your employees' cross-sell efforts.
Then ask yourself the following question: where will customers get their order? If you plan to give them their products at the main counter, you should strategically place displays to encourage last minute purchases during the withdrawal.
Also think about the benefits you could bring to in-store withdrawal. For example, Selridges offers 30 minutes of free parking to customers who opt for in-store withdrawal. This encourages consumers to choose this delivery option while providing them with more time to explore other in-store items.
As for the communication efforts that are supposed to promote this solution, many merchants often struggle to highlight the option of in-store withdrawal. To mention it to the customers at the cash register is obviously not enough. Speak loud and clear. The more online shoppers choose to opt out, the more opportunities you will have to generate additional purchases through cross-selling and increase customer satisfaction during the process. And of course, you will retain customers who have a good experience by picking up their order.
Have you ever used the store pickup option?
What was your experience with in-store withdrawal? Share your tips and opinions in the comments below.
In-store withdrawal allows customers to buy online and pick up their order at the physical point of sale or any other location provided for this purpose. This new trend has grown in recent years and more and more retailers are offering additional shipping options to consumers. Placements for the removal of orders in different public places (eg lockers in metro stations) are now opening up everywhere.
Order online and recover in store; the practice is in the process of becoming an unavoidable shipping option in the world of commerce. By allowing customers to check size, color, and shape before leaving with their order, and taking advantage of their in-store visit to encourage them to make purchases that complement their items, merchants Today, they are able to sell more and minimize returns while offering flexibility that is highly valued by customers.
Last year in the UK, more than half of consumers took advantage of this shipping option - and the United States does not get far behind, where nearly a third of purchases made during sales periods have been recovered in store.
In total since 2011, the use of the in-store withdrawal option in the UK has increased by 155%, and compared to last year's Christmas, an increase of 27%. This is a growth rate three times higher than that of online shopping in general.
All these statistics show that the trend will soon gain ground in Francophone countries.
With the growing popularity of this new shipping option, consumers are becoming more confident about brands. Year after year, orders placed with the in-store withdrawal option are increasing as Christmas shopping season approaches. During this crazy period of shopping, consumers place their orders online and go to the store to collect their gifts on time and in peace.
How shipping options have evolved
With technological and logistical advances, "same-day delivery" has gained ground and revolutionized the retail industry. This effectively implemented option has increased customer expectations for the online shopping experience - and e-merchants who do not offer enough flexibility may be outpaced by competitors. who do it.
For many merchants, free shipping has become an effective way to differentiate itself in recent years - but the practice is now becoming a standard to which retailers who want to compete effectively must join.
That said, statistics show that the in-store withdrawal option is clearly here to stay. Like the way Amazon changed customer expectations by starting to offer free shipping, the option of ordering online and later withdrawing the order in-store has already become essential for consumers familiar with new technologies.
With the growing number of options to land the product in the hands of the customer, it is becoming increasingly clear that in-store withdrawal is becoming the next "free shipping" in the world of physical selling, and that the option will permanently change customer expectations. In other words, in-store removal will become more of a necessity than an option. In a Wall Street Journal study, 50% of consumers preferred physical withdrawal, and 45% of consumers made an additional purchase while in the store.
In terms of profitability, it makes sense to offer in-store withdrawal as an additional shipping option. Right now, it's still a great competitive advantage that can differentiate your business, increase in-store traffic, and facilitate cross selling. Given all these reasons, it would make sense to invest now to take advantage of the craze for the trend instead of waiting longer to do so.
That said, maximizing the return on investment requires effective in-store withdrawal and ensuring the initiative is worthwhile in terms of profitability. Be sure to collect feedback from customers who opt for in-store removal to eliminate friction points and streamline the experience as much as possible. Follow not only the number of buyers who come to pick up their order in store, but also the number of customers who take advantage of their visit to make an additional purchase. If these numbers are high, you will know that you are on the right track and you will only have to continue to optimize this delivery option.
To track these indicators, you can use your point-of-sale system, inventory management software, and / or other order processing tools.
Why is in-store withdrawal also gaining popularity? If you think about it, the concept combines the best of both worlds (online and offline) for all parties - consumers and merchants. Consumers can enjoy all the benefits of online sales, but also those of an order placed in the store. No wonder people are seduced.
Convenience for Mobile Buyers
The option is perfect for mobile buyers who can, for example, place an order during the lunch break and pick it up on their way home. In addition, the option is particularly useful for remotely shopping at the supermarket and later retrieve them.
If you sell a consumer product and your customers often visit your store for replenishment, they might appreciate the ability to avoid queues. Merchants could convert casual buyers into loyal customers by providing more flexibility.
Goods removal services are also gaining popularity, from local transportation companies to lockers in subway stations. Small retailers can now offer thousands of consumer drop-off locations for even more convenience.
In the United Kingdom, just over half of online shops offer click-and-go delivery, but only about one-third of these stores have a physical removal location for this purpose. opportunity certainly deserves to be explored.
Avoid the risk of deterioration of the goods
In-store withdrawal is also ideal for bakeries, florists, and merchants who sell fragile or perishable goods. By offering in-store withdrawal, the risk of deterioration during transport disappears - which is both beneficial for your customers and your turnover. Consumers can also make customizations when picking up the order (eg choosing to arrange a bouquet of flowers in a specific way).
Reduce returns and exchanges
Let's focus a little more. The most convenient in-store withdrawal markets are clothing and footwear. It makes perfect sense from the consumer's point of view. By removing the order from the store at a convenient time, the customer can verify that the product is true to the online description, and may even try it to ensure they have chosen the correct size. Naturally, if necessary, the latter can also be assisted at the moment by the staff.
From the merchant's point of view, the situation also has several advantages, including the possibility of reducing returns as customers leave the store satisfied and with the right product in their hands.
In-Store Withdrawal: An Ideal Opportunity for Cross-selling
In addition to the benefits listed above, cross-selling also has great potential. Approximately 40% of customers who choose in-store withdrawal buy something extra - an additional purchase with an average value of £ 13 to be more precise (€ 14.6). This percentage is even higher during sales periods - 60% in the United States during the past Christmas.
So it's not about increasing your fees and the complexity of your logistics operations just to give your customers more flexibility. With effective implementation, you can avoid losses and increase your turnover.
And the potential of cross-selling is not short-lived: by focusing on in-store pick-up, you'll be able to sell more to customers who are picking up their orders in the long run.
How to implement withdrawal in store
What should merchants pay attention to? First, the first step is to prepare the order correctly and in time so that it can be recovered at the agreed time (10% of traders who participated in a study on this subject have encountered difficulties at this level).
Your team must be made to understand that store withdrawals are a major part of your business and should be handled with the same professionalism as regular orders. This will prevent customers from feeling abandoned in one way or another.
Beyond the basics, merchants can also optimize the way orders are collected in-store as well as related cross-sell initiatives.
First of all, make sure that the In-Store Pickup team is given the same value as the regular pick-up team if you want to maximize the effectiveness of your employees' cross-sell efforts.
Then ask yourself the following question: where will customers get their order? If you plan to give them their products at the main counter, you should strategically place displays to encourage last minute purchases during the withdrawal.
Also think about the benefits you could bring to in-store withdrawal. For example, Selridges offers 30 minutes of free parking to customers who opt for in-store withdrawal. This encourages consumers to choose this delivery option while providing them with more time to explore other in-store items.
As for the communication efforts that are supposed to promote this solution, many merchants often struggle to highlight the option of in-store withdrawal. To mention it to the customers at the cash register is obviously not enough. Speak loud and clear. The more online shoppers choose to opt out, the more opportunities you will have to generate additional purchases through cross-selling and increase customer satisfaction during the process. And of course, you will retain customers who have a good experience by picking up their order.
Have you ever used the store pickup option?
What was your experience with in-store withdrawal? Share your tips and opinions in the comments below.
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