Last week's announcement that Sears and Kmart were expanding store pickup for online orders to the chains' more than 2,000 locations didn't get a lot of attention because, well, it came from Sears and Kmart.
While the two chains continue to struggle and same-store sales increases seem out-of-reach, sears.com and kmart.com have been bright spots for parent company Sears Holdings. Store pickup, it turns out, has been a big part of the chains' digital success with 60 percent of online orders defined as multichannel transactions. In the most recent quarter, online and multichannel sales were up 26 percent from the same period in 2013.
"We're excited to build on the success of this popular, convenient Free Store Pickup option with 2,000 Sears and Kmart stores, regardless of whether you order from sears.com or kmart.com, and have it ready for pickup in five minutes or less," said Leena Munjal, senior vice president, Sears Holdings. "The service also makes exclusive brands — like Sofia by Sofia Vergara and Adam Levine at Kmart, and Bongo and Outdoor Life at Sears — available for free pickup at hundreds of new locations."
Items available for free store pickup are marked on the chains' websites. Consumers select their preferred pickup location and it is shipped directly to the store. The customer then receives an email confirmation of its arrival and is given three pickup options, all ready in five minutes or less including:
- Picking up their order at the merchandise pickup area themselves;
- Designating a family member or friend to pick up the purchase;
- Having their order brought out to their vehicle.
