What Is BOPIS and How Is it an eCommerce Pillar in Home Improvement?
What Is BOPIS?
While you may need to Google the term BOPIS, where you’ll probably find a culinary food listing rather than a winning eCommerce strategy, it is an important term to know in building materials today. BOPIS is an acronym that stands for “Buy Online Pickup In Store”. And to retailers like Home Depot and Lowe’s, the world of the interconnected retail experience for customers is what’s currently helping fend off Amazon and other pure play eCommerce marketplaces.
The Outcomes of BOPIS in Home Improvement Retail:
It encourages shoppers to buy more.
Have you ever experienced the effect of going to the shop to buy ‘just one thing’? Think about the last time you went to Lowe’s for a project. You walk through the aisles and buy more. And for home improvement, every project requires related items. Buying online and picking up your purchase in store encourages in-store activity - and likely pick up additional items while they’re at it.
It improves customer satisfaction.
DIYers and Pros alike are looking for an easy and frictionless shopping experience. Giving them the flexibility to get their items on their own time, while providing them with a secure location to store their purchases all contribute to a positive customer service experience.
It can help other retailers compete against Amazon.
It’s hard to compete with the monster that is Amazon. It’s everywhere. Moreover, it is the eCommerce retailer to keep your eye on. How do other retailers compete? By providing BOPIS, retailers are able to compete with Amazon Prime’s lightning fast shipping and allows customers to collect their orders ASAP.
Why Does BOPIS Work So Well for Home Improvement?
BOPIS has become increasingly important in every segment. Customers like to shop online. It's quick and easy, can be done from anywhere, and avoids crowds and lines. A recent Adobe study showed that e-commerce is growing by 14% versus overall retail growth of 4%.
But it works especially well for the home improvement sector. Why? Much of what stores like Home Depot sell is difficult to ship. If you’re in building materials, this isn’t a news flash. That makes BOPIS an ideal hybrid. Using this method, customers can still avoid the lines and shop from home, then easily pick up their packages in the store.
Home Depot Sees a 50% Pick Up In Store in Q3 2019
Home Depot offers this service for many products in all of its stores, and makes it easy to use. Customers choose the "Pick Up in Store" option at checkout and get notified when an order is ready.
While they recently missed earnings due to heavy, yet delayed technology investments, Home Depot remains optimistic that profits will increase as the user experience improves. The third-quarter report showed that 50% of orders were picked up in-store, "a testament to the power of our interconnected retail strategy." Paul Stonick, director of online user experience, said that "When user experience is done right, that creates brand loyalty."
Big Box Will Keep Pushing BOPIS with Vendors
If your brand partners with Home Depot or Lowe’s in any capacity, your company should expect BOPIS will be an increasingly important factor. Retailers will continue to push their partners to enable the speed of delivery. How that speed of delivery evolves into the expectation of being “in-store” as soon as possible will be an outcome that will continue to develop.
BOPIS is just one more way that your organization will need to be considering how you’ll support eCommerce marketplace initiatives from the likes of Home Depot, Lowe’s or Menards.
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