How to Promote In-store Pickup this Holiday Season

People are getting used to not having to wait in order to get what they want. One way they’re shortening the amount of time they have to wait to get a product they bought online is by picking it up in a store either same day or next day. With the holiday season quickly approaching, here is some insight on how to promote in-store pickup that can help increase overall holiday performance numbers.

The National Retail Federation (NRF) reported in its 2018/2019 Winter Consumer View that 56% of all shoppers are aware of buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS), and 70% of those who know what BOPIS is have tried it. What’s more, shoppers in Gen Z (age 18-25) became more aware of BOPIS and showed an increasing tendency to actually try it in 2018 compared to 2017.

That’s because those shoppers don’t want to wait long to receive their online purchases. eMarketer, citing a Package Concierge study, reports that 59% of Gen Z internet users use BOPIS because they want their items quicker than having them shipped.

That’s a big part of why the retailers that win big this holiday season are going to be the ones that promote the use of BOPIS throughout the 2019 holiday shopping season.

Start identifying which products you want to promote

The holiday shopping season will be in full swing very soon, and retailers and brands should be in the process of identifying which products they want to promote as BOPIS-eligible.

For consumer brands, work closely with retailer partners on a BOPIS strategy

Brands that sell in retail stores should work closely with their retailers on BOPIS promotional strategies. Use your co-op budgets to work with vendors to create dedicated display campaigns retargeting shoppers with ads promoting products available for order online and pick up in-store. Work with your retailers to ensure that they have adequate inventory to both satisfy in-store shoppers and shoppers driven from your website.

Use immediacy in your search campaigns

Shift some of your ad spend to live local inventory ads and leverage the “store pickup” feature as part of your Google Shopping campaigns. Tailor promotional messaging to include words like “in store pickup” on product pages and when featuring products on social media. Incorporate phrasing in product descriptions such as “get it today” so that shoppers who are seeking out products that they can pick up in a store same or next day are more easily able to find those products.

Communicate which products are BOPIS-eligible with your publisher partners

Getting people interested in picking up online orders in-store begins with getting specific as to which products are eligible for this service. Identify products that are widely available across your supply chain network and work with publishers in your affiliate network to promote buying those products online and picking them up in-store. Offer a small discount off an additional purchase made when picking up an online order in-store as a sweetener that could drive more incremental purchasing.

And finally, don’t assume people know where to go for pick up

Make sure you include detailed instructions on where to go in a store and what a shopper needs to bring in order to ensure a positive experience each time. Include a short video tutorial on how to buy a product online and how to pick it up in-store. Make sure online order pickup locations are clearly marked with direction to those locations posted at high traffic areas in a store. This will increase the likelihood that a person will have a better experience and thus will be more inclined to pick up more online orders in your stores.

Want to know more about how you can set yourself up for holiday success? Speak with a Rakuten Marketing expert today.