Top 5 order for pickup best practices

Sponsored by Rakuten Ready

It’s never too late to make Order for Pickup your 2020 focus.

In the US, almost 80% of the population owns a smartphone and this has led to a NOW economy where almost everything consumers want is available at their fingertips or on-demand. These expectations provide a great opportunity for grocery brands to grow revenue if they can provide the pickup experience that customers are looking for.

According to Rakuten Intelligence “Order for Pickup” is growing 2.5x faster than delivery over the last 3 years and with over 60% of consumers having tried curbside pickup or “click and collect”, great on-demand experiences have become table stakes for grocers.

To capture those valuable and loyal mobile-first customers, grocers need to ensure they offer the ability to grab ingredients for breakfast, lunch, and dinner whenever, wherever consumers want.

Focus on the experience

A study by PWC highlights that 73% of customers point to experience as a critical factor in their purchasing decision. As mobile-first customer expectations continue to evolve in this on-demand economy, the pickup experience is more important than ever, not only during the holidays but year-round. However, you need to differentiate by saving your customers time and offering a great brand experience.

Across tens of millions of orders captured by Rakuten Ready, we know that customers who wait less than 2 minutes to receive their order are 4x more likely to reorder in the future. So saving customers time increases the odds dramatically that they will return to order again and again.

We have identified 5 best practices that are critical to a successful Order for Pickup program.

Best practices 

Focus on logistics and infrastructure

Clear signage, dedicated parking and pickup areas will reduce wait times and positively impact the customer experience. Nothing is worse than having a customer use your pickup program and not have the best experience before even getting out of the car.

Leverage data to personalize the experience 

The lower the wait time and the more personalized the experience becomes, the higher the customer perception of the overall shopping experience. 

Optimize technology 

Rakuten Ready ARRIVE predictive arrival technology can help optimize the experience by providing the data you need while informing employees exactly when customers arrive to pickup their orders.

Provide dedicated employee training

Training and empowering employees to fulfill mobile orders at a high level is critical to the success of an Order for Pickup program. 

Promote your program

Brands must ensure dedicated marketing campaigns that promote your program and drive usage. 

Stand out from the competition in 2020

To thrive in the NOW economy, brands must deliver an Order for Pickup experience that exceeds expectations at every step of the customer journey. Over 72% of consumers expect their favorite grocery store to offer Order for Pickup within the next 12 months. So if you have made this priority already, you are well on your way to satisfying your 2020 goals and capturing new customers. If not, watch out, your competition might be gaining.

To learn more about the Rakuten Ready here.