Don’t mourn the loss of the pre-pandemic retail model – think about the shopping | Dealing with COVID-19

In retail, evolution is not always a slow process. Sometimes this happens with the force of an earthquake – or, in the case of last year, a pandemic.

COVID-19 has turned consumer lives upside down in unexpected ways. It also changed their attitudes towards buying goods. Almost overnight, shipping, curbside and BOPIS (buy online, in-store pick-up) became the preferred methods of contactless shopping. Consumers appreciated being able to find out if a product was in stock, pay for it from home, and avoid queues.

All forms of e-commerce showed acceptance in 2019. COVID-19 has just normalized practice. According to a study by Total Retail, around 76% of retail stores offered BOPIS in mid-2020, an increase of 10 percentage points over the previous year. And signs indicate that BOPIS is going nowhere.

As a result, the big puzzle for retailers is how to ride the wave of dominant retail trends without giving up that all-important brick-and-mortar presence. After all, browsing and buying in brick and mortar stores is still a top source of income compared to things like shipping and curbs, which are the biggest budget breakers for retailers. As a result, brands with physical locations are required to implement great retail experiences that will surprise and delight – not to mention customers choosing BOPIS and then staying and making more purchases. In other words, an unprecedented mix of online and personal engagement really seems like the future of retail.

Further improve the customer experience

All of this requires innovative thinking from retailers. The key will be figuring out how the attractive elements of BOPIS can be used to achieve larger shopping carts and reduced return rates while maintaining visitor frequency.

As Anthony Pastore, former director of store design at Ulta Beauty explained, many of the in-store experiences that retailers considered “normal” prior to the pandemic had underlying pain points for everyone involved. COVID-19 has simply exacerbated these issues that required urgent solutions.

The rigid process of in-store shopping has had to adapt to safer omnichannel shopping solutions that allow retailers to reassure customers about when, where and how to shop. However, the pre-pandemic conventions that will survive after COVID-19 will depend on specific retailers and the options that best suit their store experiences and customers. Many of them will live harmoniously alongside new innovations from the pandemic era, providing consumers with fresh in-store and online experiences.

So what’s the bottom line? It is time to lure consumers back into stores in a way that accommodates their need for security, openness to BOPIS and changed habits. Brands ready to embrace a retail reinvention process can begin with three steps to create all-encompassing customer journeys and touchpoints:

1. Make stock transparency a priority. Inventory management may sound like a back office function, but it must be in the foreground in the form of inventory transparency. Buyers appreciate being able to check the availability of the items they want via apps and websites. This helps them get involved in BOPIS and enjoy quick fulfillment. Walmart, for example, has tried to keep up with inventory by adding robots to its stores (although it has since rethought that plan). Not every retailer needs to make this type of inventory investment, but all brick and mortar stores should check product availability beforehand. Shoppers are less upset about having to postpone picking up goods than they are when they walk into a store and find empty shelves.
2. Allow consumers to bypass lines. There’s a reason the rental car and hospitality industries are introducing their reservation systems: they save you the hassle of waiting in line. Bypassing a check-in counter or taking a seat at a favorite table promotes loyalty and increases pleasure. BOPIS is about convenience; If you want to build your shopping carts and create positive touchpoints with your brand, buyers just won’t stand for standing. Certainly, in some ways, there will always be cash lines. Even so, self-service kiosks and self-pay apps can minimize the sometimes annoying distance between finding a product and paying. New payment apps like Snabble are trying to fill this gap and eliminate the problem. It’s not hard to imagine a time when consumers can step into a retailer, browse whatever they want, buy what they want, and leave – and engage positively with staff throughout their shopping journey without having to queue. to go to the checkout.
3. Promote technology-driven and personalized “impulse purchases”. Impulse purchases are usually reminiscent of individually wrapped chocolate bars and branded lip balms. However, that last minute shopping experience can be enhanced with a little help from technology. For example, online shoppers are often compared to product suggestions with higher prices based on the contents of their shopping cart or other SKUs they have browsed. The same experience could be translated into stationary shopping.

Look at BOPIS buyers. Before they finalize their shopping carts, the system could show them other additional items that they might want to buy. And when they visit the store to pick up an order, they can see everything from skin care samples and sweaters to products that have just been launched. Or they could be digitally directed to an area of ​​the store for a unique introduction to carefully curated items.

The big changes in shopping over the past year have resulted in consumers adopting habits that will persist as part of the future of retail. Rather than resisting these changes, retailers should orientate themselves on the trends. Those who do this will find themselves on stronger financial and branding ground well into the future.

Holly Draher is the National Account Director at Harbor Retail

Holly Draher is the National Account Director at Harbor Retail, a design + build company. Holly designs, builds and supplies furnishings and environments to activate the Harmonic Retail â„¢ shopping experience. She has worked with global retailers and beauty brands and enabled solutions in cities like Los Angeles, New York, London, Paris, Shanghai and Sydney.