Whether you own a high-end boutique or a grocery store, finding new ways to serve customers who are looking to shop and place orders from anywhere is key to adapting to today’s challenges. Retailers in particular are looking for ways to limit in-store contact while still allowing customers to buy in the ways they feel most comfortable with.
New retail fulfillment methods have been on the rise, but COVID-19 single-handedly sped up the shift. Research from RIS found that 44% of retailers are now offering curbside pickup, and 47% are giving customers the option to buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS).
If you’re looking to take orders online, on social media or over the phone, you have a variety of options when it comes to how customers can pick up or receive their items from your store. From curbside pickup to delivery, here are a few options to easily expand the ways customers can get your sweaters, cinnamon rolls, or artwork — without missing a beat.
Implement on-demand delivery
On-demand delivery enables you to dispatch delivery drivers from third-party delivery service providers (like Postmates) for orders placed on your online store.
Square Online can import your existing Square items to create an ordering page that is fully optimized for mobile devices. Orders placed on your online ordering page are fully synced with your Square Dashboard, appearing instantly after payment in your POS.
Each on-demand delivery order triggers a dispatch request to a third-party delivery service provider, who fully manages the fulfillment process. Square Online provides live order updates to your customer via text messages. With on-demand delivery, you can:
- Save money: You’ll pay a flat dispatch fee of $1.50 per order, and a fee to the delivery service providers (typically $6–$8 per order on deliveries under three miles). You can pass the delivery cost on to your customers, pay it yourself or cover it for orders over a certain amount, e.g., free delivery for orders over $50.
- Maintain customer relationships: Strengthen your relationships with customers and incentivize them to return using sales history in conjunction with your regular marketing and loyalty practices.
- Stay organized: All your orders will remain in one place, so you can keep track of sales and analytics within your Square Dashboard.
Learn how to set up on-demand delivery.
Add curbside or in-store pickup
If you’re located in a neighborhood where customers can come to you, you can provide them with the option to BOPIS, or pick up their order curbside.
If you use Square Online and you enable in-store pickup, customers placing orders will see a selection for in-store pickup at checkout, and they can come inside your brick-and-mortar space when their order is ready for pickup.
If you enable the curbside option, customers will see a selection for curbside pickup at checkout. Your customer will receive a text message letting them know to call your pickup location’s phone number upon arrival, and you or your staff can bring their order out to their waiting car.
Learn how to set up in-store pickup and curbside pickup.
Set up local delivery
With Square’s local delivery, you can offer delivery for customers within a geographic range that you determine, and use your own staff (or yourself) to deliver goods. Eligible customers can select delivery at checkout and opt to receive delivery text alerts.
When you enable local delivery with Square Online at your retail store, customers can select delivery at checkout. Order tickets sent to your Point of Sale with print delivery details in the notes section.
For local delivery from your retail store, you can also set an estimated delivery time, delivery fee and a minimum delivery order value.
Learn how to set up local delivery for your store..
Work with delivery partners
You can also set up delivery through integrations with Square partners. These integrations can help you offer customers delivery by courier, receive online orders from customers, and manage orders from these platforms within your Square Point of Sale. To hear more from Square about additional resources and updates on Square products, please reference our resource hub, which is updated frequently.
