The holiday season is rapidly approaching, and shoppers are already preparing for it. Consumers are moving toward the hybrid online and in-store shopping experience in today’s technology-driven environment. Digital-first habits like curbside pickup and buy-online-pick-up-in-store are likely to continue as we approach the holidays. This article will present 5 recommendations for successfully maintain in-store pickup procedures to help you plan for your holiday season.
Generate a clear in-store pickup guide
Customers should have a good understanding of how the entire click and collect procedure works. A step-by-step guide, such as when customers place an order, the business prepares the products, and the customers come to the store to pick up their purchases should be clear. This information should be provided in the first place, in order to avoid confusion as much as possible.
By doing so, you will be able to maintain a consistent in-store pickup process for both employees and consumers. Since the shopping experience is now omnichannel, this guide should be published online and stated in-store for better clarity.
Consider store navigation
Businesses should first make it easy to navigate their store for the best in-store pickup experience throughout the holiday season. When customers walk into your store, you want them to be able to discover what they’re searching for quickly and effortlessly. In addition, the guide should also include instructing your staff on where everything is located. That way, they’ll be ready to assist customers who want support, especially when the store is crowded.
Besides the brick-and-mortar shop, your eCommerce store can benefit from improved store navigation as well. When selling online, it’s essential to design seasonal banners or even customized navigation links. This may significantly improve the pickup experience for consumers and save them a lot of time.
Make use of technology
Technologies can help store owners perform repetitive tasks, which can take a lot of time if being done manually. For in-store pickup in the holiday season specifically, we want to focus on point of sale (POS) systems. Many modern POS systems, such as ConnectPOS, provide robust capabilities that enable a smooth buy online pick up in-store (BOPIS) experience. Customers may purchase immediately on their phones thanks to cutting-edge technology like the PWA Consumer App. Meanwhile, staff can also select and control pickup orders easily within a few clicks. Using technologies like this can save you a lot of time, while maintaining an error-free pickup experience for customers
Consider self-checkout
The holiday season is the time when most businesses have to face a sudden surge in physical stores. As a result, consumers may have to wait in lines in order to make a purchase or complete the pickup activities. This is the perfect time for self-checkout technology to thrive. In fact, self-checkout is preferred by 73% of respondents in a 2019 consumer poll. A self-service system will benefit your customers since they will be able to check out faster and have a better shopping experience. Meanwhile, you could boost your sales and make better use of your other resources.
Pay attention to inventory levels
During every holiday season, inventory shortages are common. While stockouts and shipment delays may occur, transparency will be essential for keeping customers satisfied with your business and the shopping experience you offer. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to your real-time inventory levels.
Our tip is to use technology that has real-time synchronization. Consumers will be significantly happier with your brand this holiday season if they can receive their orders immediately when they come to the store to pick them up. As a retailer, you wouldn’t want to disappoint your customers by informing them that their purchased products are out of stock in the physical store. Therefore, staying up-to-date about the real inventory level is key to doing timely pick-up order preparation.
Wrapping up
Now that you’ve known some tips to maintain successful in-store pickup practices for the holiday season, it’s time to start planning. If you want to know more about ConnectPOS, don’t hesitate to contact us!
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