RESOURCE CENTER

Chapter 2: Embrace Contactless Engagement

Design a plan to help shoppers feel safe and secure.

Contactless engagement (or low-contact engagement) will help shoppers feel safe and secure. Stay agile, test, learn, and move forward with these best practices to rethink the store experience.

Offer in-store and curbside pick-up options

While 69% of shoppers have done buy online pickup in-store (BOPIS) in the past, 23% are using it more than usual because of the pandemic. This will likely continue, especially for shoppers who may not yet feel comfortable returning to your store. As a result, there will likely be continued demand on logistics channels and a strain on delivery services.

Turn your store into a distribution center to give shoppers options. The Quick Start for Curbside and Store Pickup solution is designed to help you ramp up in-store and curbside pickup quickly with convenient and safe online ordering and inventory visibility. To fulfill orders at the store, the simple tools maximize associate productivity and help you eliminate “last mile” shipping costs.

Chapter 1: Ensure safety at your store
Chapter 2: Embrace contactless engagement
Chapter 3: Evolve the role of the associate
Chapter 4: Double down on digital

In Q1 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, retailers offering buy online pick up in store (BOPIS) grew digital revenue by 27%

Make sure to set a dedicated area in your store for pickup with clear signage near the store entrance. For curbside, reserve select spots for pickup. Another consideration is turning certain store locations into dark stores. This way, only associates go inside and retrieve packages for curbside pickup.

When it’s time for shoppers to retrieve their orders, communicate instructions clearly on their preferred channels — customers, on average, use eight different channels to communicate with companies. Send an alert through email, SMS, or push notifications with details on where and how to pick up their items. Give clear instructions with the type of identification needed (e.g., license plate number for curbside), store details, directions with a link to maps, and support channels should shoppers have questions.

Enable inventory agility and visibility

Meet shopper expectations with customer-first order management. It integrates customer-facing systems that affect the post-purchase process. This helps your team manage order fulfillment, payment capture, invoice creation, and real-time inventory, especially as you prioritize stores for fulfillment purposes.

Offer contactless checkout and returns

Seventy-eight percent of people have used contactless payments before. Mobile wallet options such as Apple Pay and PayPal are key for stores to maintain social distancing. Update your POS systems to accept alternate payment methods via mobile, wearables, and tap-and-go card payments.

It may be months away, but the holiday shopping season will look different this year. In fact, only 11% of consumers plan to spend more compared to last year and nearly three times as many plan to decrease their spend. Prepare now with flexible options for shoppers, deliver contactless experiences, and double down on digital commerce.

Another option is self-checkout, which 82% of people report using. If a shopper needs to return an item, take a cue from Nordstrom, which put in place contactless return kiosks in 2019. Shoppers scan a QR code and easily return their items. Another option is to update your customer portal so shoppers can initiate returns on their own. Integrate a workflow that takes them through step-by-step directions.

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