The hybrid fulfillment tactic known as buy online, pickup in store is proving resilient in postpandemic retail business
For me it’s a mixture of the same day receipt of the item and the unreliability of Amazon lately.
Amazon does nothing to honor the times they promise. When a “next day” delivery is suddenly a two day delivery they just quietly update the estimate and don’t compensate for the delay. At least buying from a store with local pickup, I’m getting it when I expect.
If I’m purchasing something exciting like a new game console or piece of tech, and it’s available at best buy, I’ll do their in store pickup since they usually have it ready within an hour. Way better than anxiously waiting for it to be delivered in one to three days. Anything else that’s not exiting, I’m not too concerned about waiting for shipping.
For retailers including Walmart, Target, Macy’s and others, it is an extension of their attempts to use their physical stores as kinds of virtual fulfillment centers, a strategy that has grown out of the surge in online shopping during the Covid-19 pandemic and the strain it exerted on companies’ distribution operations.
I have been using Driveup at Target since they first started it. And often the prices are cheaper on the app than in the store. Win win.
Groceries I’ll get myself, but if I am only grabbing a single item sure why not have it ready for pickup to save me time.
