What is curbside pickup?
Curbside pickup is a fulfillment service where customers purchase products online and pick them up from a designated location outside a retail store without entering the building.
Curbside pickup works as follows:
The customer arrives at the store's pickup location, either at an agreed day and time or by contacting the store to say they have arrived
A store associate retrieves the customer’s order from inventory
The order is delivered to the customer’s vehicle, with the store associate verifying the customer’s details
The customer drives off with their order
Curbside pickup vs BOPIS
Curbside pickup and Buy Online Pickup In Store (BOPIS) are both services offered by retail stores. Customers buy online and collect their order from their nearest physical store.
With BOPIS, customers pick up their order from a collection counter in-store. With curbside pickup, the order is delivered directly to their vehicle without the customer having to enter the store.
Why is curbside pickup increasingly popular?
Curbside pickup became popular with customers during the pandemic, because it was a low-contact way to shop at their favorite stores. It remains popular today because it is convenient and saves time.
Advantages of curbside pickup for retailers include:
Reduced cart abandonment: Curbside pickup is an ideal compromise for customers who do not want to pay for delivery but also do not want to go into the store
Increased customer satisfaction: It can accommodate time-constrained customers and those who cannot shop in store
Increased efficiency: Store associates can prepare multiple orders in advance
Lower labor costs: Fewer staff are needed inside the store for scanning, payment processing and service interactions
Competitive advantage: It gives retailers the edge over their nearest rivals
Pickup done right
How technology supports curbside pickup
Curbside pickup only works when the store can promise what it has and prepare orders before the customer arrives. An order management system (OMS) coordinates inventory, orders and store teams so pickups run smoothly.
An OMS supports curbside pickup by:
Syncing inventory across point of sale, warehouse and e-commerce systems to prevent oversells and stockouts at the store
Orchestrating curbside pickup, BOPIS and ship-from-store through a single rule-based engine
Giving store associates guided mobile workflows for faster, more accurate order preparation
Adjusting how many pickup orders each store can handle, so staffing matches demand
Keeping customers informed with accurate order status from placement through pickup