Advertisement

A Quality In-Store Pickup Program Starts With A Seamless Digital Experience

By Ed Kennedy, Episerver

Buy online, pick up in-store programs (also known as click and collect) are a favorite among shoppers and retailers alike. These programs cut shipping fees and delivery waits for customers while driving them to brick-and-mortar locations.

Click and collect has become so popular that retail giants like Walmart and Target are expanding their programs to more markets and hiring in-store staff to handle online orders. But with all the focus on expansion, the emphasis on digital often takes a backseat to the actual in-store experience.

Advertisement

Look at Target’s click and collect strategy as an example of a company striking the right balance between digital and in-store. For busy shoppers running errands on the weekend, their decision to purchase is made a lot easier when they have the option to do a quick search on their smartphone to check if Target has the product they’re looking for available in-store. Those customers will then go to their nearest Target to pick up the item. And because it’s impossible to visit a Target store without making at least a few last-minute purchases, they will end up spending more than if they had simply ordered the product from Target’s web site.

Target created a seamless experience between mobile and in-store by introducing the following features:

  1. A default-store location on the mobile version of the site.
  2. Clear labels that indicate whether an item is in-stock at the default store.
  3. Options to purchase online or reserve in-store.

Even when mobile users don’t reserve ahead or purchase on their smartphone, they can do their own research and decide whether to visit the brick-and-mortar store. And because of the assured impulse purchases, foot traffic is Target’s key objective.

Target has clearly invested in a seamless user experience that weaves in its mobile app, web site and in-store channels. What’s most apparent in the experiences it delivers is how personalized they are. Target personalizes the customers’ experience at every step of their unique purchase journey, from guiding consumers to products based on past visits, to targeting content to consumers based on their default store, to individualizing the products that are suggested on the site based on aggregate behavioral data.

To make the in-store pickup process smoother for consumers, retailers can follow Target’s lead and blend digital capabilities with legacy in-store retailing practices to create a seamless experience. This means highlighting the option on mobile and desktop web sites as well as in-app. But while showcasing in-store pickup options with front-and-center messaging is the first step, retailers should go the extra mile to make sure they are targeting the right customers that will take advantage of this option.

Bringing this back to the broader commerce conversation, click and collect programs are a significant opportunity for retailers to modernize their digital experience. A soon-to-be-released Episerver study found that more than nine out of 10 shoppers visit a retail web site without intending to make a purchase. Often, those customers are researching products, comparing prices or looking up store information such as hours and locations. The question all retailers should be asking themselves is how they can convert interest into intent with the 92% of consumers who aren’t online to make a purchase.

While commerce is becoming increasingly digital, brick-and-mortar is here to stay. The retailers that will succeed in 2017 will be those that make crossing channels easy for consumers. Click and collect is the first step.


Ed Kennedy is a commerce strategist at Episerver where he oversees product strategy and market adoption of the Episerver commerce platform. He has spent the last seven years supporting enterprise businesses to plan and execute over 100 e-Commerce projects.

Access The Media Kit

Interests:

Access Our Editorial Calendar




If you are downloading this on behalf of a client, please provide the company name and website information below: