As shopping behavior shifts dramatically with the proliferation of ecommerce, brick and mortar retailers worldwide are under pressure to develop omnichannel shopping strategies that combine the convenience of online shopping with the experience of shopping in a bricks and mortar location.
Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store (BOPIS) instore model is proving to be the gamechanger in this context. According to the official Shopify blog, BOPIS on Shopify is not just lowering shipping costs and speeding up delivery times, it is indirectly executing an increase in foot traffic into its brick and mortar locations where AOV is naturally higher.
What Is BOPIS on Shopify and How Does It Drive In-Store Sales?
BOPIS (Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store) enables the end consumer to buy products on a Shopify merchants website or app and pick them up at a local retail store.
Known as “click & collect”, this omnichannel retail operation helps boost in store sales by making pickup visits a compelling reason to visit, driving in store sales by converting pickup visitors into buyers.
Customers arriving to pick up their online purchase are more likely to buy surprise additions to their order or be persuaded to purchase complementary items from displays at the checkout point, according to research by Accumula. BOPIS can, it claims, be “one of the most profitable ways of selling” as it cuts the shipping cost per customer and drives higher conversions in store, boosting unit economics.
The Core Workflow That Powers BOPIS Success
- Customer shops via the internet and opts-in for “pickup in store” during checkout – The customer explores your product selection, processes payment online and requests for “local pick up”, instead of shipping – simply eliminating transportation charges and shipping time.
- Picking by retailer – retailer accesses the order and prepares from local store stock with synced inventory management.
- The system will dispatch the order to the nearest store location with stock availability. Staff will pick, pack and label for collection.
- Customer gets a pickup email (or SMS) – When ready, an automated notification informs the customer his order is available. Clear information minimizes headaches, and makes customers want to come in quickly.
- Customer arrives, shows confirmation for order, takes away the purchase – The customer who puts shopping order on hold at home comes in and takes the order by showing QR code and Order name.
This is a step where unplanned in-store shopping occurs, and contributes directly to the AOV through BOPIS. This process of converting to brick and mortar visits makes it a perfectly natural environment for upsell and cross sell that pureplay e-commerce cannot replicate.
Key Benefits of BOPIS for Shopify Merchants
There is no denying the potential BOPIS on Shopify holds to add value for retailers seeking to optimize each and every customer experience. Here are some of the most powerful benefits based on retail data and case studies from Shopify.
- More store traffic without additional ad investment
Every BOPIS order comes with a guaranteed store visit. Unlike online channels which leave customers in the digital realm, every pickup becomes an additional in-store visit.
Retailers can capitalize on this opportunity. 78% of BOPIS customers intend to purchase high margin impulse products while in the store by positioning impulse buys close to the BOPIS pickup area. - Higher average order value (AOV)
Shoppers who select BOPIS have a higher average order value than those ordering delivery.
The brick-and-mortar store environment initiates spur-of-the-moment buys, whether it’s an accessory, a bag of chips, or a seasonal display.
Several merchants have experienced a 10-20% lift in AOV through proactive promotion of BOPIS. - Reduced shipping and returns
Removing last mile delivery reduces total carrier charges, packaging, and fuel surcharges.
Also, managing returns in store is significantly cheaper and easier than handling them through the mail, resulting in lower reverse logistics costs. - Enhanced customer lifetime value (CLV)
Customers who get a smooth BOPIS pattern are more likely to buy again.
The ease of same day pickup keeps them loyal – each trip to the store strengthens the bond with the brand.
Loyalty incentives combined with BOPIS programs may keep them coming back.
This demonstrates why by offering BOPIS, you are not merely giving yourself a fulfillment option, you are actually opening a whole new direction for growth.
Overcoming Common BOPIS Challenges
Though BOPIS presents undeniable benefits, it is often burdensome for merchants to overcome operational issues. Being proactive can keep the pickup process operating fine, and your store’s good name intact.
Solving “No Stores Available with Your Item Shopify”
When a customer is attempting to BOPIS and finds ‘No stores available with your item on Shopify.’ Most likely related to inventory visibility problems where the local store may be out of stock or real time integration of your Shopify inventory is not being reflected.
This could be remediated by a central inventory management system to update available stock levels across the various sites in near real time. Determine and set reminders/reorder points of inventory levels and enable the checkout path to reflect true inventory availability using and configuring the multi-inventory paths correctly. Kark Shopify App plays a major role in doing this.
Ensuring Real-Time Inventory Accuracy Across Channels
Out of sync inventory can result in order cancellations, and irritate customers. Put in place a unified POS to website order management system (OMS) which feeds your online store realtime data.
Staff training is of similar importance – pour resources into creating a dedicated BOPIS team, and set up service level agreements (SLAs, e.g. “order available within two hours, pickup within one hour”).
This guaranteed proactive communication in the form of automated email/SMS alerts for example diminishes the agony of waiting.
Why Kark Shopify App Enhances Your BOPIS Strategy
For merchants who take their in store BOPIS operations seriously, Kark Shopify app is a must.
This Kark is a location based order routing app that intelligently determines the most appropriate fulfillment location for each BOPIS order based on stock position, distance, and staffing capacity.
Unlike traditional local pickup settings, Kark adds rules to optimize the pickup experience for instance, setting different pickup windows by store, filtering certain high value orders to flagship locations, or splitting orders within different stores simultaneously.
Seamless Integration of Zapiet with Kark Shopify App for Location Sync
Many merchants who manage both a BOPIS system and an advanced pickup management solution ask us: Is the pickup location a customer chose in Kark transported over to Zapiet? The short answer is yes.
Zapiet is the premier locally pick up and delivery app for Shopify and Kark has developed an exclusive pickup location integration that seamlessly passes the data across the two platforms.
When a customer’s pickup store is selected in Kark using our smart location selector, that store selection is automatically pushed into Zapiet’s gateway to customer order routing, maintaining inventory fidelity.
Manage multiple stores without increasing complexity by utilizing Kark’s new Zapiet integration to connect your BOPIS store orders.
Final Checklist for Launching BOPIS on Shopify
Before roll out, go through this simple checklist to make sure your BOPIS plan will (a) generate sales in your store (b) not cause additional problems.
- Synchronise inventory in real time
Set up multilocation inventory management or use an add-on by a third party. - Enforce specific pickup SLAs
Specify the maximum pickup duration (e.g. 2 hours) and provide training to team members to achieve such times. - Create a pickup zone
Signage and a dedicated counter will cut down on wait time and confusion. - Automated pickup alerts
Email/SMS alerts when orders are ready, then again for followup. - Train store associates
Make sure any team member can talk through the BOPIS process from order to customer pick up. - Upsell at pickup
Place small high margin items (batteries, gift cards, snacks etc.) near the pickup counter. - Measure performance
Record weekly visits to the showroom, average order value, and pickup conversion rate.
Following this checklist will ensure you won’t fall into the traps associated with BOPIS, and BOPIS will become a steady source of revenue for your business.
Conclusion
BOPIS on Shopify is so much more than a convenience. It’s a silent switch that boosts in-store purchases, dramatically reduces logistics costs, and turns BOPIS customers into loyal shoppers.
Kark shopify app with real-time inventory sync, and the efficiency of solutions like the Zapiet integration will help you avoid issues with location-handling and maximize every pickup.
Our intelligent routing and Zapiet connection ensures shopping cart info is preserved, and you have a single omnichannel presence. So whether you run a local boutique or national chain, a well-running BOPIS program will put your stores head and shoulders above the competition.
FAQ Section
What is the BOPIS retail strategy?
BOPIS (Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store) is a retail/consumer tactic that integrates multiple channels that enable customers to order online through a web platform or a mobile app to pick up/store their orders at the local shop. This way, consumers get the best of the two worlds – the convenience of e-commerce and product availability in person without the shipping delay. Additional benefits of the strategy are attracting potential customers to physical stores, reducing delivery expenses, and opportunities for natural upselling that happen during pickup.
How to drive traffic in Shopify for BOPIS?
You can accelerate traffic with SEO-set up product pages, Google Shopping ads that target “near me” searches, and social media campaigns that show off Sameday pick-up. Mail existing clients a “pick up in 2 hours” deal, and local influencer collaborations are also effective. In the end, what matters the most is that BOPIS be very plainly visible front and center on your homepage and navigation menu.
Why do 90% of people doing Shopify with FB ads fail?
The main reason is the “Construct It and They Will Come” myth merchants heavily focus on designing the store but completely neglect the traffic generation plan. Especially with Facebook ads, failure to test different audiences, ignoring ad fatigue, as well as not giving enough budget during the learning phases will result in poor ROI. On a successful track, Shopify stores associate BOPIS as a part of an all-encompassing acquisition strategy, not just something thought of later on.
Can I offer both shipping and local pickup for the same product?
Of course, in Shopify you have the ability to offer multiple fulfillment methods per product. Make changes via Shipping and delivery settings and adding both local pickup rates and shipping rates. Just be sure that your stock count is accurate for these two different channels to not encounter overselling. For customers, it will be a dual display of both possibilities at checkout and they will choose the one that best suits their needs.
