Leveraging BOPIS Technology to Create Stronger Customer Experiences

Purchasing habits have evolved. Consumers now require more autonomy in retail to decide how they interact with brands.

Custom E-Commerce Development increase efficiencies and drive revenue by managing payments, inventory, delivery, and data analytics to sustain seamless consumer journeys across multiple channels using BOPIS technology.

A survey conducted by Harvard Business Review reported that 73% of consumers engage in omnichannel e-commerce when they shop online. With remote retail on the rise, this number will increase in 2022 and beyond.

But what exactly is omnichannel e-commerce, and why is it so highly regarded?

What is Omnichannel e-Commerce? And Why is it Essential to Success?

Offering a unified shopping experience across the consumer journey, omnichannel e-commerce elevates the fragmented multichannel experience by streamlining digital engagement and in-store purchases.

Businesses today, especially brick-and-mortar locations, need to refine their omnichannel e-commerce strategy to remain competitive. Whether shopping online or visiting a physical location, omnichannel retail provides a personalized Consumer Experience (CX).

What is BOPIS Technology?

BOPIS (Buy Online, Pickup in Store) does precisely what it says on the tin – it allows online purchases to be picked up within a designated timeframe from a physical location.

This sale model was created to improve company-consumer relations. When implemented correctly, it can create next-level Customer Experiences (CXs) for increased brand loyalty and revenue.

The Rise of Buy Online, Pay in Store (BOPIS)

The demand for remote retail intensified during the pandemic, and the general public’s purchasing mentality shifted.

This resulted in thousands of businesses across all industries, adopting innovative retail strategies to optimize their sales performance, a popular one being BOPIS.

Proving to be popular amongst consumers of varying demographics, nearly 67% of U.S. shoppers have taken advantage of this retail strategy in the past six months, and 10% of all web-based sales are projected to be fulfilled by this model come 2025.

The BOPIS fulfillment method offers convenience and cost-efficiency, as shipping fees are bypassed with traditional delivery options. Because goods aren’t delivered to the consumer’s home, orders that fall into this e-commerce category aren’t plagued by excessive price hikes.

BOPIS Program Benefits

Enabled by robust Order Management Systems (OMS), BOPIS platforms can showcase real-time stock levels, audit reports, and accurate product forecasts. – improving the likelihood of bought goods being made available for consistent on-time collection, aiding your business’s reputation as a timely and trustworthy distributor.

As well as helping to alleviate backend disruption and downtime, a BOPIS platform also assists in optimizing the customer-facing aspects of your sales funnel.

When empowered by cutting-edge Point of Sale software, BOPIS can hold special promotions and offer exclusive sale discounts, critical in the modern commerce marketplace.

With Vertical Data Systems (VDS) embedded at their core, BOPIS platforms can perform seamless material auditing. This facilitates robust enterprise resource planning that aids ongoing scalability efforts.

5 Technologies Enabling BOPIS Strategies

OMS, POS, and VDS offer a nice upgrade to the current BOPIS purchasing model. They are, however, only three of the technologies helping to build a better future for BOPIS.

There are a plethora of other innovative technologies empowering this burgeoning form of commerce, five of which include:

1. Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID)

RFID can automatically track and identify virtual tags attached to physical items by utilizing electromagnetic fields. This facilitates full visibility of the entire stock estate.

2. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)

EDI technology is a vital component of the BOPIS order fulfillment model. It notifies B2B partners (shipment companies, retailers, etc.) whenever inventory, distribution, collection, and invoicing updates occur.

3. Payment Card Industry (PCI) Compliance Software

PCI guidelines must be adhered to at all times during the BOPIS process. Specialist PCI compliance software ensures that retailers are on the right side of the law with card payments (both online and in-store).

4. Contact Center Systems (CCS)

BOPIS requires clear and coherent communication across the board – CCS technology enables this by routing calls, managing agents, collecting data, and displaying retail scripts.

5. Computer Vision Technology (CVT)

CVT solutions, such as iPickup, simplify the BOPIS collection process by storing and tracking product identification data. This crucial information can notify customers when their items are ready to be collected.

BOPIS Best Practices

If you want to take full advantage of BOPIS and its plethora of purchasing perks, it’s highly recommended that you get to grips with its best practices:

Making pickup as stress-free as it can be

Convenience should be at the heart of your BOPIS endeavor. Leading retail organizations like Walgreens and Walmart offer a full-scale curbside pickup service, and you should follow suit.

Maintaining a full and dynamic inventory of goods at all conceivable points

Spoilage, damage, limited storage, demand fluctuations – these are hurdles faced by all businesses, no matter the industry.

To avoid being blighted by these plights, you need to go the extra mile to maintain a full and dynamic industry of goods.

Respecting consumer privacy demands and/or distancing requirements

Respecting both the privacy demands and social distancing requirements of customers is critical in this post-pandemic world.

Being aware of it makes your business a conscientious organization that takes safety seriously, which ultimately helps to cultivate a trustworthy reputation for your business going forward.

Getting Set Up

It’s essential to lay solid foundations for a BOPIS retail venture, so make sure to inspect your current omnichannel e-commerce infrastructure. – By performing a full-scale evaluation of this system to pinpoint current inefficiencies before they become future problems.

Once you have an optimized omnichannel e-commerce platform in place, you should aim to streamline the flow of communication shared between your BOPIS systems which include:

• Order acceptance (Shopify or Magento)
• Inventory management (Heartland Retail or Lightspeed POS)
• Order fulfillment (ShipStation or Sendcloud)

Still not quite sure where to start? Well, with the help of a reputable developer, your business can be well informed on its next move with BOPIS and how a custom developer can make sure your business fully utilizes such an upgrade.

Taking BOPIS Technology Seriously

The convenience of contactless click and collect commerce is clear for all to see; it’s no wonder, then, that so many organizations are integrating this sales tactic into their everyday sales operation.

Even as the consumer public takes tentative steps out of lockdown and begins to embrace its old purchasing habits, the demand for BOPIS isn’t slowing down.

If you want your business to remain at the forefront of the competition, offering a BOPIS service is vital. Though the Covid-19 pandemic was the catalyst to kick-start BOPIS, it is sure to have a bright and long-term future as a valuable addition to business tactics.

It can be unnerving to see the shopping landscape evolve so quickly. But if your business has implemented an effective BOPIS technology, you don’t need to worry about failing to cater to your customers and their expectations.

No matter what the future holds, your business can rest assured that it knows what it’s doing and that it can cater to its customers.

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