DISCUSSION

Where are curbside and BOPIS services falling short?

October 26, 2020Written by Tom Ryan

The core fundamentals of assuring a positive curbside and in-store pickup experience are: having a designated pickup location, easy online account creation, providing contactless order pickup and having orders ready when promised, according to a study from Ipsos. The study, which involved a survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers as well as mystery shops, comes as BOPIS and curbside pickup usage have increased significantly since COVID-19 began, with shoppers planning to use the services at the same or higher levels after the pandemic subsides. Among chains tested:

Walmart performed the strongest across all measured attributes in the grocery category for BOPIS. Visible signage directing consumers to the grocery pickup area was found in 86 percent of locations audited.
Target performed “exceptionally well” in grocery against the categories surveyed with orders ready when promised at 98 percent of visited locations. Target also led the pack in the apparel category with clear, visible signage directing shoppers to the in-store pickup area at 83 percent of locations.
Sam’s Club ranked first in curbside pickup with designated parking at 100 percent of locations audited.
Kroger was seen to have orders ready when promised at 97 percent of locations.
Nordstrom offered a contactless pickup experience at 65 percent of locations, making the chain one of the best in the category for contactless pickup.

Recommendations from Ipsos included focusing on clear communication, as more than a quarter of respondents said there is room for improvement in that area. Twenty-seven percent said BOPIS pickup spots were poorly marked or difficult to find. Order accuracy, also critical to customer satisfaction, was noted as being deficient by 9 percent of respondents. A recent survey from Incisiv found shoppers rated their recent pickup experiences poorly across a variety of parameters — from the availability of pickup slots, to wait-times for pickup once at the store. Eighty-five percent rated the ease of completing an order four stars or higher, but significant friction was found in getting there, both online and in-store. Eighty-one percent gave a rating of three stars or lower when asked about stores’ availability of preferred pickup date and time.

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