What are BOPIS's most glaring growing pains?

BOPIS (buy online, pickup in-store) gained greater acceptance with consumers globally last year but its challenges were highlighted in a new survey from the U.K. More than a third (36 percent) of U.K. shoppers who used BOPIS, also called "click & collect," encountered issues over the holiday season with their orders, according to the second annual JDA/Centiro Christmas Customer Pulse report conducted by YouGov. The study surveyed 2,008 adults between Dec. 29 and 30. Of those who encountered issues, the major problems were seen as:

• Not having a dedicated area in-store for BOPIS purchases, cited by 31 percent;
• Long waiting times due to lack of in-store staff, 31 percent;
• Staff being unable to/taking a long time to locate items in-store, 24 percent.

On the positive side, 41 percent of online holiday shoppers used BOPIS, up from 39 percent in the year-ago survey. Of those that used BOPIS, 24 percent said they would use the service more next holiday season. Fifty-six percent said they used BOPIS to avoid delivery charges, while 49 percent said it was more convenient than home delivery. A quarter said they chose to shop specifically with a retailer that offered BOPIS over one that solely offered home delivery. In the U.S., the International Council of Shopping Centers' "Holiday Consumer Purchasing Trends Study" found about a third (32 percent) of shoppers this past holiday season took advantage of BOPIS. Of those, 69 percent went on to buy other things while they were picking up their orders and 36 percent made another purchase in an adjacent store. A StellaService study last year got some attention for finding that using BOPIS only saved shoppers on average 96 seconds versus entering the store and checking out themselves. But a Forrester Research study found numerous other reasons backing BOPIS's growing popularity, including saving on shipping costs, adding convenience over online purchasing, ensuring a product was available and reserving it, and getting the product on the same day.

• New JDA/Centiro Study Reveals More Than a Third of Christmas 'BOPIS' Shoppers Experienced Issues with Their Orders - JDA Software Group/Centiro
• A Whopping 91 Percent Of Holiday Shoppers Made Purchases In A Physical Store, According To New ICSC Holiday Consumer Purchasing Trends Study - International Council of Shopping Centers
• Ship to Store Is Retailers' Top Fulfillment Option - eMarketer
• In-store pickup only saves 96 seconds - RetailWire
• While shoppers like in-store pickup, it is tough for retailers to do well - Internet Retailer
• Survey: 32 percent of holiday shoppers used 'click-and-collect' in 2015 - Retail Dive