BOPIS for Fulfillers

By Online Pick Up In-Store

BOPIS (Buy Online Pick Up In-Store) is a win-win for both customers and fulfillers. Customers like the convenience and cost savings, while for the fulfiller, BOPIS saves on delivery costs and can also increase revenues.

Now more than ever, it’s important for fulfillers to deliver products to the hands of customers where and when they want them. Shoppers want choice and flexibility in how their orders are fulfilled, and they want to be able to complete their purchases or make returns quickly and efficiently. In an age when shoppers are conditioned to walk away from a purchase if the shipping fees are too high or if home delivery takes longer than two days, fulfillers can no longer afford to back-burner innovative order fulfillment options.

*Note: Shipping cost savings is one of the main reasons consumers give for choosing BOPIS over home delivery, but speed and convenience matter, too. In particular, speed and convenience may be what drive the sharp spike in BOPIS orders placed.

How does BOPIS work in Quivers for fulfillers?

When an “In-Store Pick Up” order is available in the system, the order will be auto-assigned to the fulfiller that the customer selects from the list of fulfillers at checkout, and you the fulfiller will be notified that an order has been assigned to you (similar to Auto-Assignment or Auto-Claiming within the Quivers admin panel).

After receiving the New Order Assigned notification, navigate to the Order Details page in Quivers and click on the order. Prepare the order for the customer’s In-Store Pick Up, then click on the “Ready for Pickup” tab in the order breakdown view.

This will send the customer an email notification that their order is ready for pickup in-store! The email will provide the store’s location and phone number should an issue arise. The email to the customer will also include a QR code that can be scanned by the store associate to open up the Quivers Admin panel directly from their device.

Once the customer has successfully picked up their order in-store, the fulfiller will need to click on the “Confirm Pick Up” tab in the Order Details page within the Quivers Admin Panel. This signals to Quivers that the order has now successfully been fulfilled and is in the customer’s hands.

Who can pick up the order?

The individual whose information is in the Order Details must pick up the order by showing their ID or QR Code confirmation email to the store associate.

*Note: The email sent to the customer will have the store’s address and a QR Code. The fulfiller can scan the QR code upon pick up, or check to make sure the details match with details on the order.

How will the customer know when the order is ready to be picked up? 

The customer will receive a notification email when the order is ready to be picked up. The email will be triggered directly from Quivers but will include the fulfiller’s information as entered into their Admin Panel including the address and phone number.

How is an order canceled? 

The customer will need to call the store designated for pickup for assistance. If the customer does not call to cancel, and or does not pick up the order, the fulfiller will cancel the order.

How should inventory shortages and inventory be handled? 

Inventory management is an important component of BOPIS. As soon as a store employee pulls an item off the shelf for an online order, the inventory must update in real-time to keep another shopper from placing a BOPIS order when the product is actually out-of-stock. It may be best to update inventory as soon as possible within Quivers to ensure an item shows as out-of-stock at a store once the inventory count dips too low to continue fulfilling that particular item.

There are also instances when the store associate simply can’t find the item. The fulfiller should email and/or call the customer right away to alert them of the issue and follow up with updates. While the customer may still be frustrated, it prevents the additional hassle of her driving to the store only to find out the item she ordered is nowhere to be found.

Auto-Assignment

Auto-Assignment is required to be enabled for the Pick Up in Store feature to work as it is based on the fulfiller’s inventory and fulfillers will have to update their inventory frequently. If a fulfiller has not updated their inventory within the hours mentioned in the “Maximum Fulfiller Inventory Age,” their store will not be on the list on the products page while the customer will be placing an in-store pick up the order.

*Note: Auto-Assignment is a feature set by your connected Merchants. To ensure the best experience for your online customers, be sure to update inventory within Quivers frequently (recommend at least every 48 hours).

Bottom Line

Supporting buy online, pick up in-store is something even smaller fulfillers could launch in a relatively short period of time, and it can help attract more shoppers to the store at a time when more and more customers are moving online. However, businesses must remember they are also putting a handful of merchant-new processes onto the plates of employees who are often already the most overworked. When building a plan for BOPIS, make sure to not only address the challenges outlined above but avoid putting too much of a burden on store associates.