The bond between retailers and their “best” consumers has been put to the test over the past few years. As the COVID-19 pandemic shifted shopping online and shuffled behaviors, it brought forth new demands on retailers to maintain existing relationships, create new connections, and enhance the consumer experience.
Addressing these challenges requires a nimble strategy that anticipates shopping behavior, streamlines the omnichannel journey, maximizes profit, and minimizes loss. All while keeping your most loyal consumers happy along the way. Easier said than done? Well, it’s all about perspective.
Every interaction with shoppers – whether online, in-store, delivery, curbside pickup, or pickup lockers – is a chance to wow loyal and new consumers alike. One area that retailers often overlook, and consumers least expect is the return counter.
Even as ecommerce took a huge leap in early 2020 – experiencing 10 years of growth in just three months1 – brick-and-mortar stores have stayed strong for most sectors. When looking at organizations that increased sales by 10% or more last year:
Which means that in the pandemic-initiated battle between ecommerce and physical stores, both sides won. While more people than ever are shopping online, they’re still relying heavily on local stores, especially for BOPIS (buy-online-pick-up-in-store) and BORIS (buy-online-return-in-store) transactions.
Let’s take a look at these return and pick-up transactions from the consumer’s perspective and explore how you can deliver an elevated omnichannel experience.
Every interaction with shoppers – whether online, in-store, delivery, curbside pickup, or pickup lockers – is a chance to wow loyal and new consumers alike. One area that retailers often overlook, and consumers least expect is the return counter.
Your consumer sees: Returns as the frustrating conclusion of a purchase gone wrong. And that frustration feels inevitable, especially when returning or exchanging a product that was ordered online. It’s a lot of effort to sort out the return process, whether re-boxing and shipping an item or finding time to return in store.
You should see: An opportunity to make a positive impression for shoppers returning both online and in-store purchases. Many retailers lack the data and processes to provide excellent service with minimal consumer impact – while ensuring the validity of each return – but we’ll explore ways to do just that below.
Seeing the return and pick-up experience from your consumer’s perspective is a good first step. But the next step is harder – developing a strategy that optimizes your omnichannel platform and processes.
In an ideal world, the shopping journey from website or mobile app to store pick-up is seamless. Consumers seek the best retail experience no matter the channel. And even when retail associates aren’t involved, the stakes are high. For example:
Your consumer sees: Pick-ups as a necessary step to ensure satisfaction. In this new shopping reality, everyone is still figuring out what works best for them. For clothing, shoes, and other high-ticket products, many of your “best” consumers want to touch and feel items before bringing them home.
You should see: An opportunity to rethink the consumer experience. And perhaps even redesign your stores to accommodate these big shifts in behavior. Streamlining the pick-up and return processes will help differentiate your brand and keep your consumers coming back.
Seeing the return and pick-up experience from your consumer’s perspective is a good first step. But the next step is harder – developing a strategy that optimizes your omnichannel platform and processes.
Start by implementing efficient, data-driven return authorization systems and optimization tools that help to create a consumer-centralized journey while managing risk and preventing invalid returns. But don’t stop there. Here are four more tips to enhance service for your best omnichannel consumers:
Never lose sight of how your consumers feel about returns and pickups – or the negative impact that long lines, complex processes, and cumbersome policies can have. Instead, reverse those return expectations by integrating robust return authorization systems and optimization tools that are built to improve performance, maximize profit, spark engagement with new shoppers, and drive deeper brand loyalty with consumers across the omnichannel.
Footnotes
1 Bank of America, U.S. Department of Commerce, ShawSpring Research, Forrester Analytics, McKinsey Retail Practice
2 Buzek, G. (Writer). (2021, September 23). Top 10 Omnichannel Retail Trends. Live presentation. IHL Services.