Dive Brief:
- A pickup in-store fulfillment alternative is offered by 61% of retailers worldwide, according to Retail Systems Research and SPS Commerce.
- More than half (53%) of retailers offer two-day delivery option, 40% offer a ship-from-store option, and almost one-third (32%) offer same-day delivery.
- In the United States, 38% of digital buyers used a ship-to-store option in 2015, UPS says, up 3% from the year prior.
Dive Insight:
A recent report from Retails Systems Research and SPS Commerce says that 61% of retailers worldwide now offer a ship-to-store fulfillment option, what U.S. retailers often refer to as buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) services.
The BOPIS option is popular among retailers because it is relatively easy to implement, often save on direct shipping costs, and encourages incremental sales in brick-and-mortar locations by getting current customers to stop by and perhaps make an additional purchase.
It’s taking off among consumers, too. UPS’ 2015 Pulse of the Online Shopper report says that 38% of consumers had tried a ship-to-store service, up from 35% in 2014, while a separate survey from Blackhawk Engagement Solutions put the figure at 45% last year.
Retailers wishing to boost use of their BOPIS service should emphasize savings and speed: 86% of respondents to the Blackhawk survey said they would consider trying the fulfillment option for $10 off a $50 purchase, and 76% said they would consider it to get their goods three days sooner.
