Retail
Retail Fulfillment With Smart Lockers by Parcel Pending
Written by: Parcel Pending
4 Min Read
Published: April 4, 2020
Updated: March 29, 2023
E-commerce has doubled parcel volume over the year two years. This dramatic increase in online retail has been causing some challenges for fulfillment centers and fulfillment companies. In general, order fulfillment and pick and pack is often a time-consuming and costly process.
The order fulfillment process refers to all the steps an online store must take to get the customer orders from their online shopping cart into their hands. This involves the management of shipments, tracking and confirming the delivery of products to customers and managing returns processing.
With eCommerce and consumer demand on the rise, it is now more essential than ever for retailers and distributors to fulfill and ship products efficiently and effectively in order to meet customer needs.
Parcel Pending is answering the call for a solution with its BOPIL (Buy Online, Pick Up In Store) retail locker solutions. BOPIL lockers are designed to streamline supply chain logistics and improve customer fulfillment for retailers and distributors.
Below, we will take a look at how BOPIL can help retailers better manage their fulfillment duties.
Boost retail staff efficiencies
Consumers expect to find the product they need when they need it. They also expect to be able to check product availability on retailers’ websites and actually find the product in the store. Since consumers have multiple convenient alternatives to choose from, it is critical for retailers and brands alike to have products on the shelves right when the consumer is ready to buy.
BOPIL locker solutions provide fast order fulfilment via a chain of custody and accountability. They provide a fast and easy way for retailers to pull an inventory audit report allowing staff to quickly identify existing orders pending customer pickup in the locker. Additionally, store management can quickly audit current BOPIS orders in a locker (compared to a bin or storage shelf) and the lockers provide a list of current orders waiting for pickup.
With BOPIL, the process of retrieving stale items is also very efficient since Parcel Pending’s technology allows order numbers to be scanned or a customer order to be selected at the kiosk. Moreover, the risk of lost items and delays impacting your customer pickup experience are dramatically reduced.
Significantly reduces customer wait times
It’s all about offering best-in-class customer service. With BOPIL, customers can be in and out of the store with their goods within just seconds compared to the outdated method of waiting 10-15 minutes for a store associate to locate and provide their order.
The way BOPIL works is simple. Once an online retail order is fulfilled – be it clothing, electronics or more – the items are placed into one of the Parcel Pending smart delivery lockers located at a participating retail store location. Customers are then instantly notified by text or email and provided with a unique access code that they can type or scan at the locker kiosk. They can then quickly and easily pick up their online order at their convenience by going to the retail store and entering their personal access code into the locker. What’s more, all deliveries and customer pick-ups are monitored, tracked and verified by Parcel Pending’s built-in cameras and infrared scanners to provide complete chain of custody for all orders.
In fact, Parcel Pending retail clients report that 95.9% of their customers said that using BOPIL saved them time in picking up their order (25 seconds with BOPIL versus an average of 3 minutes without BOPIL).
It doesn’t matter your product offers, BOPIL can help to improve your fulfillment needs and customer experience.
Cost-effective 24/7 convenience
Parcel Pending alleviates the struggles of fulfillment for small businesses, retailers and distributors by assuming all customer service responsibilities for package delivery, notification and retrieval. Parcel Pending tracks and manages the delivery and retrieval of everything from cosmetics to clothing and auto parts anytime and anywhere their lockers are installed. BOPIL – available in refrigerated and fully customizable options – makes it fast, easy and convenient for customers to retrieve their online orders.
Additionally, BOPIL reduces the countless hours retail staff spends managing last mile logistics and fulfillment orders making it convenient, efficient and easy for customers to retrieve their orders. Streamlining the customer fulfillment experience not only gives distributors a competitive advantage but it also generates long-term return-on-investment.
Levels up your omnichannel strategy
The retail business is changing and becoming more complex. Nowadays, retailers are facing changes in consumer demand, behavior and above all, technology and online shopping. Retailers are beginning to realize that they must not only create solutions for omnichannel management, but also cater to the customers’ needs in order to foster greater customer loyalty and gain a competitive edge.
BOPIL locker solutions allow retailers to optimize their omnichannel operations by using the lockers for their own merchandise fulfillment. BOPIL can also boost retail staff efficiencies by providing fewer distractions and streamlining inventory audits allowing retail staff to focus more on in-store customers and brand engagement. Additionally, BOPIL helps to free up retail staff time so they can focus on building brand relationships and loyalty with in-store customers while also driving in-store purchases.
Eliminates porch pirate problem
New York Times reports that more than 1.7 million packages are stolen or go missing every day nationally. What’s also great about BOPIL is that it helps to eliminate the growing trend of porch piracy. Parcel lockers provide physical protection and security for packages, not just a deterrent that may or may not be effective.
The time is now to invest in tech-forward solutions like Parcel Pending’s BOPIL. Schedule a call with us today to learn how BOPIL can help you expedite your fulfillment and boost your bottom line.
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