By Retail Brew Staff
less than 3 min read
Definition:
A hybrid shopping experience that seamlessly blends together the best of both worlds—online and physical shopping—that first started gaining traction in the mid-2010s. Eliminating the need for frantically checking for shipping updates, the retail strategy allows consumers to place an order online and go pick it up at the store, in most cases a lot sooner than when an item is delivered. An added plus for consumers: Retailers can rarely use the excuse of “lost in the mail.” A win-win in our book.
The origins of BOPIS
BOPIS significantly picked up during the pandemic when many stores were closed, although for some retailers at the time, the practice more realistically translated to buy now, pick up curbside. Currently used by everyone from Walmart and Target to Best Buy, the BOPIS market in the US is estimated to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 16.45% between 2024 and 2032, from $111.84 billion in 2023. According to the March 2023 Global Digital Shopping Index, about 16.4 million US customers preferred curbside pickup when making an online purchase—a 37% increase from 2022. The primary reasons for choosing BOPIS for customers are ease, convenience, speed, and the option of easy returns. For retailers, offering BOPIS can lead to higher sales volumes alongside enhanced customer loyalty. Plus, it’s simply more cost effective.
BOPIS in context
BOPIS now accounts for 60% of total orders, only a slight decline from a pandemic high of ~70%, Neelima Sharma, Lowe’s SVP of e-commerce, marketing, and merchandising technology, told Retail Brew in 2022.
Later that year, Retail Brew also found that “BOPIS experienced meteoric growth during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, when browsing shelves surrounded by crowds of other eager shoppers was a no-go. But while that growth has slowed, it hasn’t deterred major retailers from leaning in.”
