Page 32 - December 2020 January 2021

RLI EVERYTHING DIGITAL

Survival of the Fittest

While it is too soon to tell how retailers will fair this
holiday season, it is safe to assume that those who are
online and have implemented Click & Collect and
Curbside Pickup options are one step ahead, argues
Bernardine Wu, Founder & CEO of FitForCommerce
in the first of six monthly columns on the world of
digital in the retail real estate industry.

ovid-19 has turned retail upside down. Before the Covid-19 & Collect and Curbside Pickup. They should implement these services
pandemic, digital commerce growth was already outpacing fast, but it is important to also make sure they are implemented right
overall retail growth in most parts of the world. Faced and that the entire organisation is aligned to ensure success. The
C with closures, shelter in place orders and safety concerns, customer experience is paramount, and one bad experience can cost
retailers were forced to further accelerate digital and omni-channel you a long-term loyal customer.
retail initiatives. The adoption of services such as Click & Collect or Buy As retailers race to meet customer demands with in-store and
Online/Pickup In-store (BOPIS) were already steadily increasing before curbside pick-up, seamless implementation, inventory management
the pandemic, but aside from grocery and select large retailers, curbside and hassle-free experiences should be top of mind. This translates
pickup was not even on the long-term roadmap for most retailers. into a solid technology foundation, clear messaging about the
Today, these services have leapt from nice-to-have differentiators to availability of these services, clever use of inventory data, and
must-have survival capabilities for retailers, big and small. communication about the service levels provided to meet or
The FitForCommerce Retail Index, a comprehensive benchmark exceed customer expectations and avoid confusion. In other
of how retailers and brands meet customer expectations for digital words, make sure you are not over-promising and under-delivering.
and omni-channel retail, reveals a dramatic acceleration of the
implementation of Click & Collect/BOPIS and Curbside Pickup services. best practIces for optImal clIck and collect
and curbsIde ImplementatIon Include:
• At the end of 2019, 66 per cent of retailers offered Click & • Make sure customers know what delivery and pickup services
Collect/BOPIS services. Shortly after the Covid-19 pandemic you offer and use it as a marketing tool. Surprisingly just 34 per
started, the adoption increased to 76 per cent. cent of retailers in the FitForCommerce Omni-channel Retail
• Curbside pickup has gone from basically “zero to 60”. In 2019, just Index promote Click & Collect options on the homepage.
four per cent of the retailers in the FitForCommerce Omnichannel • Leverage inventory data to implement product filters to offer
Retail Index offered curbside pickup, today the service is offered “Filter by Store Availability” on the website. Some retailers also
by 58 per cent. offer the option to “show me what is available in my favorite store
• A recent eMarketer survey showed that retailers anticipate that for pickup today”.
Click & Collect sales will represent 50 per cent of total revenue in • Provide clear instructions at checkout on when the order will be
the not too distant future. confirmed and instructions for what to do when arriving at the
store for pickup.
Implement It fast, but make sure It Is • Make the most of “recommended items” to drive up the average
executed well order value for Click & Collect and Curbside orders.
The accelerated adoption of Click & Collect and Curbside Pickup is • Clearly communicate what customers can expect and deliver on
not surprising; it has simply become a retail necessity in order to stay that promise. How quickly will you confirm that the order is
in business in today’s environment. ready? When the customer gets to the store, how quickly will
At FitForCommerce, we recommend that retailers bring digital to the order be ready? Can customers easily find the pickup location
the top of their priority list and invest in the implementation of Click in the parking lot or in the store? 34 per cent of retailers in the
FitForCommerce Omni-channel Retail Index include an FAQ
section to answer these specific questions on their sites.

Department stores and large retailers are raising the bar on
customer expectations. As shoppers get more accustomed to click
& collect and curbside options, they expect more. A recent survey of
top US retailers indicated that 79 per cent of click & collect orders
are generally ready in four hours, and shoppers that were notified
within four hours, were 19 per cent more likely to use the service
again. Without question, the faster the order is ready, the better the
customer experience.
Data suggests strong growth in demand for curbside pickup will
continue into 2021. The fact that demand for curbside pickup has
continued to increase even after the cessation of shelter-in-place
orders, suggests that consumers have more fully adapted to this new
shopping paradigm.
As we enter what is expected to be one of the most challenging
holiday season of our time, the difference between those who offer
click & collect and curbside pickup options and those who do not,
will likely determine who will enter the New Year on the right track.

32 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL DECEMBER 2020 / JANUARY 2021