Mobile Increases Interest in Buy Online Pick Up in Store Options

What’s Happening: 

Next week, the largest retail industry conference, National Retail Federation (NRF) Big Show, kicks off in New York City - gathering leading retailers and industry experts to discuss the latest industry trends and innovations. As the average consumer spends 3 hours per-day on their smartphones, mobile proves to be an important channel for retailers to engage with shoppers. While mobile has played a clear role in ecommerce growth, it’s also proving to be an essential element for brick-and-mortar success. 

Why It Matters: 

The recent history of retail staying power has proven that striking the right balance of bricks-and-clicks is key. Shoppers increasingly demand convenience, which has accelerated the popularity of offerings such as buy online pickup in store (BOPIS). Recent holiday research from RetailMeNot, showed 60% of retailers planned to offer BOPIS options and 85% of shoppers expressed motivations to leverage these options. 

Seven of the top 10 brick and mortar retailers advertised buy online pickup in store functionality in their mobile apps. Walmart, Target and Kohl’s lead mobile rankings — accelerated in part by their ability to offer buy online pickup in store options for customers.

To compete with brick-and-mortar stores during the holidays, some Digital-First retailers like Wish even partnered with local vendors to offer an in-store pickup option. Order tracking and fulfilment are increasingly top of mind for shoppers. Brick and mortar retailers can leverage mobile and their physical locations to offer a seamless shopping experience that fits effortlessly into the shopper’s schedule and lifestyle — allowing for more and quicker fulfilment options. 

Go Deeper:

As retailers look ahead to 2020, BOPIS will be an important consideration as shoppers continue to demand faster and more efficient offerings to obtain merchandise. As shoppers continue to perform more retail research on their smartphones, mobile will be an important channel for informing purchases and providing direction to where and when shoppers can obtain items. 

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