BLOG: What is a BOPIS Retail Program (and Why Signage is Needed for Success)
Friday, May 15th, 2020
More consumers are shopping online than ever before, and BOPIS retail (buy online pick up in-store) is taking center stage. With a growing interest in contactless shopping alternatives during the coronavirus pandemic, BOPIS has been an easy alternative for shoppers to avoid entering brick-and-mortar stores while still having an in-person experience. And BOPIS is far from new — it has been a growing trend for retailers over the past few years as consumers have been seeking time-saving shopping options other than traditional e-commerce.
For a BOPIS program to succeed for any business, exterior signage and wayfinding signs are essential for helping shoppers navigate the process. Continue scrolling below to learn more about BOPIS, curbside pickup, and other limited contact shopping solutions so they can be put to work for your business.
BOPIS Means “Buy Online, Pickup in Store”
The term BOPIS is commonly used by retailers and it stands for “Buy Online Pick-Up In-Store.” The BOPIS concept developed as a way for shoppers to save time by ordering the products they want from a retailer’s website and then selecting their nearest store location where they can pick up the order. By having the order shipped and picked up at a store, the consumer can bypass paying for shipping costs or the long wait for home delivery. While it may seem an unusual or difficult process for consumers to adopt, popular retailers from Walmart to Nordstrom have been offering automated BOPIS shopping at most of their locations, proving that it can receive and maintain support from consumers ranging from groceries to fashion.
While the acronym suggests that you have to enter a store, BOPIS programs typically don’t require consumers to go inside the building. Instead, they usually ask shoppers to drive up “curbside” to a designated store parking lot section to receive their order. This system provides convenience since customers can avoid lines, and it limits health risk since their shopping orders receive less human-to-human touchpoints. With Target seeing 500% sales growth in 2019 for BOPIS orders and other leading retailers seeing similar trends, brands and signage manufacturers should prepare to provide more exterior signage at store locations to support BOPIS programs.
Curbside Pickup for Restaurants
The food industry has had increased interest in efficient ordering options and contactless services, making restaurant curbside ordering and takeout a top trend with consumers. Similar to BOPIS, many restaurant franchises have been providing drive-up ordering services where patrons can quickly place and pick up takeout orders that they made in advance over the phone or online. After seeing a decline in sales, leading restaurant chain Chilis implemented a turnaround strategy in 2018 that relied on “to-go” ordering as a driver to increase business — and the company has continued with the program since. Applebees and Chuy’s are among other large restaurant chains that have relied on curbside as a mainstay for keeping customers moving through their doors as more people become oriented toward convenience.
Curbside pickup has transitioned from a business trend with savvy consumers to an essential operation since it can be a limited contact or contactless option. Many nationwide retailers and restaurants have expanded into curbside services to continue serving customers while meeting social distancing guidelines. As curbside becomes the new normal for the time being, shoppers will likely begin to appreciate other benefits such as convenience and savings even after the health implications of COVID-19 are no longer a concern.
Signage for BOPIS and Curbside Pickup
BOPIS and curbside are beneficial to both businesses and shoppers. The format saves time and touchpoints for consumers, which saves countless marketing and operational dollars because it provides a more direct path to purchase. For the past few years, retail and food industry experts have predicted curbside and BOPIS would increase in popularity. What they didn’t anticipate is that a global pandemic would accelerate adoption of the trend out of necessity.
With more retailers are meeting consumer demands for expanding their BOPIS options, Cummings Resources is here to help. Our team of designers, manufacturers, and installers are ready to support businesses trying to stay on top of trends and to develop new signage products at their brick-and-mortar store locations. We’ve provided signage to leading retailers such as Kroger, including wayfinding signs for their BOPIS programs to help customers find drive-up and curbside pickup areas within store parking lots. Through our signage solutions for retail and food service, we will help ensure any BOPIS system is streamlined and efficient to keep customers engaged.
WHY BUSINESSES CHOOSE CUMMINGS RESOURCES
Cummings Resources is a national signage provider specializing in design, manufacturing, and national rollouts of new exterior & interior sign products. Cummings is headquartered in Nashville, TN, and serves market segments including retail, hospitality, food service, petroleum, automotive, and more. Even after 70 years, Cummings is among the fastest-growing national signage providers in the United States while maintaining a reputation as an industry leader.
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