From the Washington Post:
"Curbside pickup, BOPIS (buy online, pick up in-store) and other 'omnichannel' approaches meant to make shopping seamless no matter the point of purchase — in-store, by phone, app or desktop — were already gaining traction before the coronavirus crisis took hold in early 2020. But the pandemic forced retailers to adapt quickly to new safety concerns and social distancing norms, and now there’s no going back for many consumers: 33 percent of adults younger than 50 who started using curbside pickup during the pandemic say it’s a habit they expect to continue, according to a study from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the SCAN Foundation."
“Retailers have started to see it as a competitive advantage,” said Katherine Cullen, the senior director of industry and consumer insights at the National Retail Federation. “They know it’s something shoppers like … and it addresses the reality that there’s not really a distinction in consumers’ minds anymore between online or in-store.”
- KC's View:
-
There will be ebbs and flows, but the growth will be persistent, if not always consistent. Anyone designing a store today has to include the ability to grow parts of the business - like curbside pickup and order delivery - that didn't even exist a few years ago.
