Article

Improving shopper satisfaction with BOPIS points to kiosk growth opportunity

Shopper satisfaction with BOPIS continues to improve, especially for purchases made using mobile devices. Automated pick up solutions have proven particularly effective for retailers.

August 14, 2019 by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

Shopper satisfaction with "buy-online-pick-up-in-store," better know as BOPIS, has made significant gains in recent years, according to a collaborative study by IHL Group and Secret Shopper, sponsored by Tecsys Orderdynamics and Bell Howell. This points to a significant growth opportunity for self-service kiosks, as researchers acknowledge automated kiosks allow customers to pick up products at stores at their convenience, such as "Walmart Towers." 

"Customers are looking for a shopping experience that is simple, convenient, fast and consistent," Steven Berkovitz, chief platform officer at Tecsys, told Kiosk Marketplace via email. "Ostensibly, in situations where retailers may struggle to consistently staff and train associates, automation such as smart lockers, pick up towers or self-checkout kiosks can really improve the pick up experience. Though beyond solving labor challenges, automation is a vehicle to streamline the in-store experience. The research points to a notable correlation between automation and customer satisfaction."

The research assessed the process with automated pickup versus those without automation in the pickup process. "Across all retailers, the total pick up time without automated pickup was 5.9 compared to 4.2 minutes when automation was used — a 29% improvement in speed. Among Walmart shoppers, the process went from 10.6 minutes when the associates were involved to 4.2 minutes when automation was used for pickup, a 60% improvement in speed," stated the report.

Berkovitz also pointed out that BOPIS represented the greatest growth area for retail sales, noting that a 2018 report by Adobe Analytics, titled "Retail Unwrapped" that highlighted retail sales growth across buying channels for the holiday season, found BOPIS sales jumped 46% year-over-year while overall retail sales growth rose 5.2% and online sales increased 18%. 

Chart courtesy of Tecsys/Orderdynamics.

BOPIS satisfaction improves

Overall, the IHL/Secret Shopper study found improved shopper satisfaction with BOPIS. Shoppers rated the online BOPIS shopping experience 4.36 on a 1-5 scale with 5 being "extremely satisfied." 

Three hundred "secret shoppers" visited the following stores from late October to December of 2018 to rate their satisfaction with BOPIS: Bed Bath and Beyond; Best Buy; The Home Depot; Kohl's: Lowe's Home Improvement; Macy's; Nordstrom; Staples; Target: and Walmart.

While satisfaction levels were positive with both desktop and mobile buying, satisfaction was higher for those using mobile devices. Sixty-one percent of the shoppers in the study used a PC or a laptop, while 39% used a mobile phone or tablet.

Mobile buying becomes easier

The study found 86% of consumers using a mobile device for BOPIS reported a highly satisfied or satisfactory experience versus the 84% using a desktop computer. The improved satisfaction with mobile commerce marked one of the most significant findings for Tecsys.

A 2011 Harris Interactive survey found 84% of consumers who had conducted a mobile transaction in the past year experienced some problems with the transaction, Berkovitz said. In 2011, more respondents (58%) were "extremely" or "very" frustrated by the mobile transaction experience than being stuck in traffic (56%) or going to the DMV (50%).

By 2018, shopper experiences made significant improvement, the IHL/Secret Shopper study indicated.

"Certainly, when you consider the fast-growing mobile segment and the effort put into optimizing those mobile experiences, it is an all-around positive for retailers taking advantage of online commerce," Berkovitz said. "There is an instant satisfaction element to using a mobile device that comes from the pure convenience," he added. 

Shoppers using a mobile device found it easier to find what they were seeking than those using a desktop, 4.42 versus 4.31, respectively. The researchers believe the mobile experience benefited from a "less is more" experience since most mobile presentations limit what is shown on the screen.

Nordstrom leads the pack

The highest rated retailers for finding things easily with mobile were Nordstrom (5.00), Target (4.75) and Lowe's (4.60), while those rated highest for finding things on the desktop were Macy's (4.72), Lowe's (4.71) and Best Buy (4.48).

The study further found shoppers using BOPIS were satisfied with items being clearly listed as available for pick up. Shoppers gave the retailers an overall average 4.41 rating for items clearly labeled for pick up. 

The top ratings for showing items clearly available for pick up on a desktop were Lowe's (5.0), Kohl's (4.95) and Best Buy (4.81). while Target and The Home Depot shared the top score for showing items clearly available for pick up on mobile sites — 5.00 — followed by Nordstrom at 4.89.

Consumers also gave BOPIS favorable scores for ease of payment. Shoppers gave retailers an overall 4.62 rating for ease of payment. The ratings were similar for mobile (4.61) and desktop (4.62).

Payment and checkout satisfaction ratings varied. Target (4.87) rated the highest in this area, followed by Lowe's (4.79) while Best Buy, Kohl's and The Home Depot all rated 4.73. For desktop sites, Lowe's scored the highest rating at 4.93 followed by Target and Best Buy, both at 4.86. For mobile, The Home Depot and Nordstrom both rated 5.00, followed by Target at 4.88.

The area in greatest need for improvement was the clarity of instructions for pick up. Shoppers gave an overall score of 3.36.

The rating for items being clearly listed for pick up had a direct correlation to the likelihood of using the BOPIS service again, the study found.

Photo courtesy of Walmart.

About Elliot Maras

---

Elliot Maras is the editor of Kiosk Marketplace and Vending Times. He brings three decades covering unattended retail and commercial foodservice.