CALCURATES BLOG
What Is Curbside Pickup and Is it Worth Implementing to My E-commerce?
May 2021
Nikolay Pasholok
Product Owner, Calcurates
Curbside pickup is not a new concept, in fact, it was used long before the pandemics. There are two big advantages to curbside pickup. One, keeping your staff and your customers safe. Second, offering curbside pickup helps retailers save on shipping and third-party courier services.
What Is Curbside Pickup Service?
Curbside Pickup is a delivery service that allows customers to pick up their packages from convenient locations like the parking of the local stores. When using curbside pickup customers do not have to get off their vehicles. The payment is also made online and is paid for before the order is picked up.
What Is the Difference Between Curbside and Pickup?
Customers place an order online from the comfort of their homes. That is the same for both, curbside and in-store pickup. The difference is that with curbside pickup the customer doesn’t need to leave the car, whereas with in-store pickup the customer enters the store to receive the order.
Let's check if Calcurates meets your shipping needs!
Turn on cost-effective shipping
How Does Curbside Pickup Work in Delivery?
The order process of the curbside pickup option works similarly to ordering a meal from your local restaurant, except that there is no delivery. You will have to pick up the order yourself. E-commerce businesses can set up a curbside pick-up directly in front of the warehouse. There is no need to distribute goods to e-commerce store. Ok, let’s have a look at how does curbside pickup work:
- 1Order OnlineThe customer places an order online. This works in a very similar way to click and collect. The customer then selects the place and the time from the time slots offered by the store. Retailers can use curbside pickup software for easy handling.
- 2Payment MethodThe order is usually paid online to avoid contact between the two parties.
- 3Order is Being ProcessedStaff will prepare your order and let you know when it is ready. Staff usually provide you with contact details to call them in case of need.
- 4NotificationYou will be notified by the staff member to collect the order. You will be asked to park in designated areas arranged for curbside pickup.
- 5Pick Up OrderDo not forget to notify a staff member that you have arrived at the designated area to pick up the order.
Calcurates Related Features
Curbside Pickup Benefits in 2024
Why Offer Curbside Pickup? What are the benefits of Curbside Pickup?
- The Process Is FasterWith curbside pick up customers expect to have their orders prepared straight after the order is made. As there is no need for packaging and shipping, it is doable.
- Customer Sets Pick Up TimeThe advantage of curbside pickup is that retailers provide you with flexible times to come and pick up your order.
- Minimized Product DamageWith curbside pickup, it won't happen to you that the goods will be damaged during the shipping. Curbside pickup can be set up directly in front of the warehouse where all the goods are stored in.
- No ShippingThe great advantage of curbside pickup is that there is no shipping. Meaning there is a potential to save plenty of money on shipping costs.
- Bigger Order ValueIt is more comfortable for customers to order in bigger volumes to avoid coming to the store daily. Offer products in a bulk.
Can My E-commerce Afford Curbside Pickup?
The majority of sales happen when the customers walk into the store where they browse through shelves and buy additional goods. However, as curbside is mostly popular due to pandemics, browsing through store shelves is not an option. What is ideal about curbside pickup is that it saves money on shipping costs.
- Staff CapacityCurbside pickup requires staff members to constantly run out of the store to put the order into the trunk of the car. Also, it requires constant assistance with parking and customer care. The key point is to have enough staff members who can run these errands for you.
- Place and Location for Loading the CarsEstablish a designated parking place or less frequent roads with a sideline close to your store. Ideally, you have a parking lot right before your store. If not direct your customers to your warehouse.
- Technology InfrastructureThe best way to communicate a curbside pickup as a delivery option is to display it at the checkout. To do this, you will need curbside pickup software to help you with curbside management. Our in-store feature works as curbside pickup as well.
- Sufficient BudgetYou will need a sufficient budget to apply all the changes above to your e-commerce store.
For Which E-commerce Is Curbside Worth It?
Any e-commerce store can implement curbside pickup. Mostly we see e-commerce stores in the food industry and gastronomy implementing curbside pickup.
Summary
According to National Retail Federation, three-quarters of consumers stated that they are interested in BOPIS. Among those 90% of consumers said that curbside pickup is very convenient.
Curbside pickup got gradually popular at the beginning of 2020. The term skyrocketed in March and reached its peak in April 2020 as seen according to Google Trends. Whether this trend will survive also after there will be no need for social distancing.
Curbside pickup got gradually popular at the beginning of 2020. The term skyrocketed in March and reached its peak in April 2020 as seen according to Google Trends. Whether this trend will survive also after there will be no need for social distancing.
Curbside Pickup for Your E-commerce
Curbside pickup can be easily added to your e-commerce as a shipping method and be displayed at the checkout. If you have e-commerce on Magento 2, Shopify, or WooCommerce you can easily configure curbside pickup using the Calcurates In-store Pickup feature. An In-store Pickup is a nice option for any local e-commerce business, it gives your customers more time flexibility. Have a look at other main reasons to implement in-store pickup for your e-commerce.
Did you like this article?