Another Way Your Website Can Increase Your In-Store Sales

A new Forrester Research Inc. study has found in-store pickups of online orders are gaining favour with consumers. Clever retailers have noted this trend with more and more now offering their website shoppers the option of pickup from their bricks-and-mortar stores.

Making this ‘delivery’ option available to your customers not only helps promote cross-channel shopping, giving you more opportunity to interact with your customers, but also eliminates a potential barrier to conversion for consumers less comfortable with online shopping.

Forrester says 30% of those surveyed said one of the reasons they do not shop online is due to shipping being too pricey. A further 9% had never completed a purchase online.

The reality is that face-to-face interactions with consumers converts at a higher rate than a website typically can. Browsing your physical store also results in a higher likelihood of add-on sales when compared to your site (where customers tend to visit with the purchase of one particular item as their goal).

The study found 88% of US shoppers surveyed were familiar with the option of in-store pick-up and 37% of those had used the service for picking up an online order.

The study also found 88% prefer email as the form of notification when the item they’ve purchased is ready for pick-up in-store. 60% said in-store pick-up makes their next trip to the store more convenient.

A word of warning: Don’t let in-store pick-ups lead to poor service!

It is just as important to put processes in place so pick-up is as convenient for your customers as it is for them to shop online with you.

69% of those surveyed said they feel aggravated when an item is not ready when they go to collect it.

Alert your customer when the item is ready for pick-up and ensure your retail staff can quickly locate the item with no confusion over payment or taking it out of stock.

So what about the ideal time-frame between placing an online order and the item being ready to be picked up in-store?

37% of those surveyed said the product should be ready immediately, 28% want their product in the next 24 hours, 20% in one to three days, 12% in four to seven days with 3% expecting the item to be available one week after ordering.

Does your website give you the flexibility to offer multiple delivery options including in-store pick-up?

Don’t let your platform or supplier force you to turn away customers. Contact Exceed today to explore your options for a more flexible platform that better meets both your own and your customer’s needs.