Click & Collect or Try & Buy? 4 Fulfilment Strategies to Maximize Experience

Convenience has become key to a great customer experience, and it is also proving highly beneficial to retailers. With the right technology, they can streamline their operations and reduce costs throughout supply chains and in-store, all while becoming more appealing to their customers. 

This almost sounds too good to be true. It isn’t, but it does require strong foundations. Retailers must develop accurate and reliable inventory management practices while being able to process and fulfill orders efficiently. Perhaps more importantly, they need the data gathered from inventory management to communicate effectively, in real-time, with the order management system.

Once this has been established, the possibilities are endless for retailers. Suddenly, fulfillment becomes seamless and success rates significantly improve. Armed with the right foundations, retailers can deliver a range of fulfillment options to their customers that facilitate high-quality experiences and instigate long-standing loyalty, built from reliability and convenience.

The next step lies in providing these options to their customers. With that in mind, our latest blog examines 4 key services that can help retailers transform their order fulfillment… 

Buy Online, Pick-Up In-Store (BOPIS) 

Often referred to as ‘click and collect’, BOPIS has become an increasingly popular option for customers and retailers alike. Clear inventory visibility provides in-store stock data and enables retailers to fulfill orders from multiple store locations, providing customers with a number of options for pick up locations for their orders with guaranteed availability.

For customers, they can purchase from wherever they are, and pick up their item whenever best suits them, sometimes within minutes of placing the order. The benefit for retailers in this instance is that it also provides an additional sales opportunity when customers arrive in-store; whether suggesting items to pair their product with, or offering personalized promotions during the interaction.

Buy Online, Ship From Store (BOSFS) 

An additional benefit of clear visibility of in-store stock is that it not only enables BOPIS fulfillment, but BOSFS, too. When a delivery purchase is placed by a customer, a BOSFS system will automatically fulfill the order from the nearest location to the delivery address.

For the customer, this ensures they can receive their product as soon as possible, often providing next-day delivery opportunities or even same-day delivery in some circumstances. For the retailer, BOSFS also reduces their transportation costs, minimizing delivery distances in all orders. Rather than fulfilling from one warehouse located 50 miles away from the customer, retailers can ship from a store that might only be 3 miles away.

Buy Online, Return In-Store (BORIS)

Many might think of fulfillment as a one-way system: a retailer providing a customer with their desired products. However, the reverse is just as important. Returns significantly impact a retailer’s bottom line and while they will never be completely eradicated, an efficient returns process can minimize costs.

According to ECR Retail Loss, for an item worth $94, with a return rate of 20%, courier returns would cost a retailer $11.21 per return. If 100% of these items were returned directly in-store by the customer, the cost would drop to $4.43.

Similarly to BOPIS, BORIS allows customers to come into the store and return items at their convenience. Courier returns can still be offered – and should be to provide complete flexibility for customers – but BORIS adds another option for consumers, who might be able to stop by the store while they are out running errands.

Again, any time customers step in-store, retailers are provided an additional sales opportunity, especially with returns. On top of offering store credit or direct swaps on their items, they could also look to offer a small personalized promotion or discount on other products to encourage additional spend. Suddenly, returns can switch from being an issue for retailers, to actually enhancing revenue in-store. 

Traditional Browsing

Not everyone in today’s society is in a rush to complete their shopping. As fulfillment becomes faster and more convenient, retailers must not lose sight of experiential retail, where some customers simply crave a high-quality experience. They want to take their time: visit the shop floor, browse and try on items at their leisure.

Fulfillment doesn’t have to be tech-reliant, it only has to ensure that customers receive the service they want, in the way they want it. For many, this still means stepping in-store, being greeted with a smile by associates, receiving human interaction and feeling valued.

As technology continues to assist retail operations in a plethora of ways, it should never replace the human element of shopping. The key to fulfillment lies in options, and the traditional shopping experience cannot be forgotten about

Future Proofing Operations

As consumer expectations continue to evolve, and technology adapts alongside them, retailers must recognize the need to remain agile both across the supply chain and in-store. With Teamwork Commerce’s Inventory Management deployed, retailers can gain accurate, real-time visibility over inventory levels. Partnered with the Enterprise Order Management solution, retailers can seamlessly provide the latest fulfillment services for a demanding customer base. Ultimately, this will serve to establish and strengthen long-term relationships and generate sustainable business success.

Interested in transforming your retail fulfillment services? Book a demo with us today.