The benefits of BOPIS: Exclusive study reveals online shopping preferences – from purchases to returns

Ever wonder:

• How long are shoppers willing to wait to pick up a purchase before ordering from another retailer?

• What motivates shoppers to use lockers to receive or return their online packages?

• What are the benefits of buy-online-pickup-in-store (BOPIS)?

We recently commissioned an online survey of over 2,000 American adults to find those answers. Here are some of the results of The Harris Poll and the vital insights gained.

Smart locker benefits: retailers can reduce wait times with intelligent locker solutions

Giving shoppers the option to pick up their purchases in less than eight hours can make or break a sale. Retailers can quickly implement customizable, secured, click-and-collect e-commerce locker solutions in a small store footprint.

Retailers considering secure, smart, or intelligent locker solutions can team up with local convenience or grocery stores to tackle the issue of extended hours and locations.

An intelligent locker system offers shoppers the ease and flexibility of buying online along with fast, low-touch pickups minus the high shipping costs. What’s more, freight, delivery, and fuel savings allow retailers to reduce expenses and emissions, which can contribute to corporate sustainability efforts.

Explore and discover intelligent locker solutions for retailers

77% of shoppers would consider using a locker to receive online purchases

Smart lockers change opinions. We learned that more than three in four Americans (77%) would consider using a locker to receive online purchases. Today's retailers offering lockers as an option to receive or return online purchases have an advantage.

There were other factors to consider too. Our survey showed that convenient location (53%) and convenient hours (50%) top the list of features that would motivate Americans to choose lockers to receive online purchases.

What are smart locker benefits?

The benefits of smart lockers — sometimes referred to as intelligent lockers — allow retailers to:

• Offer a more secure, efficient, and confidential way to pick up or return online purchases

• Create a flexible, convenient, and elevated customer experience

• Provide a contactless pickup and return solution which can help solve labor challenges

When asked what factors would motivate American consumers to use lockers to receive online purchases, the top results included the following:

• Avoiding lines at retail locations or shipping providers – 40%

• Secure receipt such as not having it intercepted or lost in the mail – 35%

• Not having to interact directly with a person, for example, customer service staff – 26%

As retailers manage labor challenges, it’s interesting to note that not all shoppers may want to interact with customer service staff or store associates. Knowing that consumers prefer options, offering a locker for purchase pickup is a win-win for both the retailer and the customer.