Smart self pickup lockers, also known as the BOPIS solution, have revolutionised the world of last mile logistics for millions of businesses. What makes it different is how it essentially redefined the relationship between a retailer and its customers. Before that, the otherwise convenient online shopping experience had but one major downside – the delivery mechanism.
For millions of people, home delivery was a less than optimal option. Parcels got misdelivered, stolen and damaged. Wait times contributed to anxiety and worry, and the return process was a nightmare for buyers and sellers both.
The implementation of BOPIS lockers kept the online shopping component everybody enjoyed and complemented it with a convenient pickup method. The implications are far reaching and momentous and this is not at all an exaggeration.
Businesses that implemented BOPIS lockers in Alberta are reporting an increase in
- Overall customer satisfaction
- Return and repeat buyers
- Increase in operational efficiency
- Reduced number of returned goods
- Reduction in losses due to returns
- Increase in total store revenues
The beauty of click and collect lockers, as they are also known, is in this name. Click and collect, the genius simplicity of the process reflected in those two simple words. And it’s true.
The BOPIS solution is a win-win improvement that benefits everybody, making it easier to collect and dispatch. Serve and shop. Both the buyer and seller benefit at the same time, and the investment of adding this is negligible compared to most retailers’ shipping expenses.
But we are getting ahead of things. Let’s take the time to describe this tech in some detail.
Introducing the BOPIS solution
In this section we will go over the benefits or qualities of this improvement one at a time.
Ease and Convenience
We’ve said this already but this cannot be stressed enough. The unique part of BOPIS lockers is that they are available for the buyer virtually 24 hours a day, all days of the week. This means items can be picked up at the recipient’s convenience outside of store operating hours. This single quality alone is enough to make it worthwhile.
Even with store pickup where you seemingly do the same thing – buy online and then go to the store, you don’t get the same level of simplicity. You depend on store hours for one thing. Then you need to stand in line and wait for a clerk to attend to you. No such steps, conditions or delays are needed in case of click and collect lockers.
But didn’t we say it’s easier for the store staff too? It is. Lockers can be positioned near the store entrance, making them easy to oversee, maintain and operate during working hours.
Perfect Visibility
This serves several purposes. Unlike traditional home delivery, the lockers expose buyers to the store front. Your staff can be called on to answer questions or provide assistance if the pickup is during working hours. Buyers there to pick up items can be exposed to call-to-action banners, promotions and advertisements. Those can be placed within the locker as well as on digital displays on locker models that have those. All this often leads to unplanned purchases, further boosting the store’s revenue stream.
Moreover, this trend is contagious. Passers by will be tempted to look closer and examine those lockers displayed near the storefront, bringing more business to your store. This can lead to a chain reaction or snowball effect that will result in better, more efficient operations almost as soon as the BOPIS lockers are implemented. Retailers opting for BOPIS lockers in Alberta are reporting a massive rise in this pickup option with hardly needing to advertise or explain it to customers. Everybody is eager to give it a try as soon as they hear about it.
Ideal Secure Pickup
Let’s expound on what we mentioned earlier, the security of this solution in comparison to delivery. Instead of dispatching the purchases via courier and hoping for the best, they are placed by store staff in a nearby secure locker. This alone means less room for error, loss, theft or damage.
Once the items are placed in the locker, the buyer gets a single use pin code to access it. This pin guarantees no items will be stolen as they tend to from front porches everywhere. Only the buyer gets access.
And when the items are picked up, the locker resets and can be used for the next purchase. This revolving door principle of click and collect lockers makes things not only more secure but more efficient as well. The rapid rotation of lockers between the previous pickup and the next is seamless, fast, and convenient.
Easier Returns
Even when a parcel gets properly delivered to an online buyer, there’s always the chance they decide to return it. The reasons are beside the point. It can be the wrong size, somehow not what they expected or a simple change of heart. Either way, this starts a tedious and expensive process that ends up losing the retailer money.
The BOPIS solution allows the buyer to either walk right into the store to return or exchange the goods, or simply leave them in the locker. Needless to say, if they walk into the store to return, it is more likely to end with an exchange or more shopping.
The bottom line is that click and collect lockers are a marvel of genius simplicity and it makes no sense to keep operating an online store without adding it to your delivery options.
To learn more about how BOPIS lockers in Montreal, Alberta or other large Canadian metro centres can benefit your company, visit our website.
