By Barley Laing, the UK Managing Director at Melissa
Customers increasingly want a wide range of pick up and delivery options for the products they order online “ for convenience, speed and flexibility.
The predicted growth of buy online pick up in-store (BOPIS) is proof of this. The global market for BOPIS was valued at $345 billion in 2022 and is
expected to reach $666 billion by 2028, according to ResearchAndMarkets.com. Theres similar growth forecast for kerbside pick up too.
Why BOPIS and kerbside collection?
The key attraction of both BOPIS and kerbside collections is that customers can often obtain products faster, rather than wait for shipping to their home. Also, it can often be more cost effective for customers because delivery costs that can sometimes be incurred on home delivery are usually not involved with these services. Additionally, for retailers, both fulfilment options can help to drive footfall in-store and reduce their own shipping costs.
However, there can be issues for retailers offering these services. These include misrouted orders, incorrect store assignments and inefficient pick up coordination that can all negatively impact on the customer experience.
Success powered by accurate address data
To avoid these problems recognition that successful BOPIS and kerbside collections depend on accurate address data “ both for customers and the stores - is key. Without such accurate location data the fulfilment operation could fail, delivering a poor customer experience which could see retailers lose customers to competitors. Also, once you have the correct address data its possible to obtain
geocodes, which offer latitude and longitude “ rooftop level “ coordinates, for even greater location accuracy.
On top of having accurate customer addresses and store location data, its also a smart idea to ensure that inventory data is accurately mapped in real-time to provide visibility on product availability. This way retailers have all the elements and insight to make BOPIS and kerbside collection effectively work.
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