Curbside Pickup: Things You Need To Know Before Getting Started

Store owners have been finding novel ways to keep business running while offering customers a secure option while collecting orders. Curbside pickup is one such option that adopts a completely new approach to operating while enabling quick and efficient business processes. 

The use of curbside pickup increased phenomenally after the pandemic, which is evident in the reports. As per Google reports, U.S. holiday shoppers’ using curbside pickup saw a huge increase in 2023,  than it was during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

As the name suggests, ‘curbside pickup’ is a self-delivery technique where the customers can pick up the items purchased online, driving to a store, pickup location, or warehouse. Though it works just like click-and-collect, curbside service doesn’t require the customers to leave their cars. Once the customer arrives, the staff brings the order to the vehicle. 

Want to know more about curbside pickup and how it works in the store? This article will discuss the aspects you should check before you can start implementing curbside pickup. 

Curbside pickup services let customers collect orders from a convenient location for the consumer, instead of having the product shipped to homes. As the name suggests, it is simple — pickup from the curb outside the store, or a designated point near the warehouse. The convenience curbside pickup offers to the buyers has made this option powerful for retailers to enhance their omnichannel retail sales strategy. 

This concept isn’t new at all — drive-in restaurants with staff bringing food to the car initially appeared in 1921. After 100 years since the adoption of this approach, consumers have evolved to be more inclined towards convenience, with numerous pickup delivery systems introduced over the past decade. 

Generally, it begins whenever a buyer purchases products online, usually via a retailer's app, website, or phone. Subsequently, the order fulfillment staff will pick, pack, and inform customers to drive into a particular area outside the store once the order is ready to be picked up. Once the customers arrive, the order-bearing staff brings the order to the buyers’ vehicle at the curb. 

Curbside pickup is an ideal alternative for customers who don’t want to wait for delivery or choose not to pay shipping costs. Once the customer places an order online, they can drive by your warehouse or store or even the pickup point to collect the order. This helps minimize shipping costs, make it super-convenient, and save time.  

Here’s how curbside pickup works: 

1. The customer makes purchases online

Curbside pickup begins when the customer places an order via a mobile app or a retailer’s website. During checkout, the customer indicates they wish to use curbside pickup and opt for a pickup time and curbside store that ideally fits the schedule and location. For curbside service to take place, retailers should integrate online inventory tracking systems and in-store systems. This enables setting up real-time inventory controls and minimizes the chances of a product being out of stock whenever the customer tries to leverage the benefit of curbside pickup.  

2. OMS receives the order and order processing starts

Order processing defines a series of steps a business follows to satisfy the customers’ purchase efficiently. With a DOM (Distributed Order Management) system, the order gets routed to the preferred location based on the rules or business logic the retailer sets. The store, distribution center, or fulfillment center may be nearest to the buyer, have the least or most inventory, or include some reasons making it the ideal fulfillment location.  

3. Order gets routed to the store for fulfillment 

When the product is in stock, the DOM system routes the item to the concerned store.  

4. Order gets routed to a different facility for fulfillment 

The DOM system routes the product to another store, warehouse, or distribution center when it is not in stock. The item gets picked, packed, and moved to the particular store.  

5. The store prepares the item for pickup 

Once the item is in stock, store associates can fulfill the orders and handle the fulfillment workflow with a fulfillment app. They pick and pack the product to get it ready for pickup. If the product is routed to the store from another location, the order gets prepared for pickup.  

6. The customer gets notified that the order is ready for curbside pickup 

The customer receives a notification that informs them that the order is available for pickup based on their convenience. Communications usually include instructions that tell where the customer needs to park to pick up the item. These spots are usually numbered/marked.  

7. The customer finalizes the pickup 

After the customer reaches the dedicated parking spot, the staff asks them to check for a QR code, confirmation text, or an email. After scanning the order, customer service representatives either pass the order to the customer or keep the product in the back seat or trunk. Thus the order is fulfilled.  

Curbside pickup services might sound overwhelming. However, it doesn’t necessarily have to be. So, it makes it faster and easier for local retailers to make order fulfillment services. 

The Customer Advantage:

Curbside pickup offers customers the flexibility to get products conveniently. They don’t have to wait for the delivery. Curbside pickup scheduling can be done easily online with the convenience of the buyer and with a button click.

• Safety: Curbside pickup provides a safer solution by reducing contact with others. Here, customers can receive the products without getting into crowded areas. This facilitates a safe buying experience, particularly in case of any health concerns.
• Time-saver: It saves your time by avoiding the need to hunt for parking. Buyers can easily retrieve the items without moving along busy parking lots, which makes the process more hassle-free and efficient.
• Faster Pickup: With improved choice, curbside delivery has been able to get the goods quicker for pickup. It adheres to the increased demand among today’s customers with items in their hands as fast as they check out online.
• Guaranteed Delivery: Curbside pickup makes sure that the customers get to collect orders at their convenience of time. They don’t have to fear missed packages or delivery delays, as it offers exceptional control over receiving the items.
• Contactless: Contactless service is a secure way for customers with disability or health issues to fetch their orders. This eliminates the requirement to touch surfaces, product packaging, and shopping carts.

The Retailer Advantage:

Curbside pickup streamlines order fulfillment for retailers and reduces in-store congestion and shipping costs. It improves overall operational efficiency, enabling businesses to serve more customers quickly. Also, curbside pickup improves customer loyalty, as it offers convenient shopping options with improved customer preferences.

• Improved Sales Opportunities: With curbside pickup, businesses can capture incremental sales. Retailers usually fear that click-and-collect options would cannibalize store sales, but usually, what happens is just the opposite.
• Enhanced Customer Satisfaction: Curbside pickup lets retailers offer customers a fulfilling experience. There’s a risk of damage while goods get delivered to the customers. However curbside pickups help customers thoroughly check the orders at the pickup point and convey changes on the spot.
• Minimized Operational Costs Than Home Delivery: By enabling curbside pickup and helping customers pick up products from designated areas, retailers can quickly make significant savings on shipping costs and reduce operational costs.
• Improved Foot Traffic: Curbside pickup lets retailers manage in-store crowds through minimized foot traffic. This not only makes shopping secure and pleasant but also lets staff focus completely on fulfilling online orders.
• High-end Visibility: Curbside pickup improves retailers’ visibility by contributing to the customers’ preferences. It highlights the brand’s adaptability and dedication to convenience, inviting both new and returning buyers who respect the flexibility of shopping. 

Order Accuracy and Order Monitoring:

Curbside pickup ensures order accuracy and in-depth order tracking. Mispacked products and order update delays can cause customer dissatisfaction. To overcome this scenario, you can go for automated systems that enable order tracking, for example, barcode scanning during packaging and sending messages to customers with real-time notifications.

Rising Demand and Handling High Traffic:

During promotional events, handling a massive volume of curbside orders can be frustrating for both customers and staff. To mitigate this, retailers can adopt a safe scheduling system that underpins pickup times and eliminates bottlenecks. Additionally, assigning clear signage for curbside pickup areas and increasing staff during peak hours will enhance customer satisfaction.

Managing Customer Expectations

Curbside pickups can be frustrating to customers if they are not managed effectively by the retailers. Once the customer reaches to pick up the goods, they get a frictionless experience. With a dedicated SMS or app system for check-ins and considering orders based on arrival times can make the process streamlined. Also, training staff to manage peak times efficiently and making sure the pickups are best organized minimizes waiting times while improving overall customer experience.

You could rely on an order management system with DOM (Distributed Order Management) that offers optimized order lifecycle management and powerful inventory controls. This also provides support for omnichannel fulfillment and customizable fulfillment logic. Nevertheless, a store fulfillment app improves the store’s operational efficiency, provides in-depth inventory visibility, scales pick and pack velocity, and offers advanced order orchestration to maximize fulfillment.  

• Build a dedicated zone for product pickup
  Retailers should keep a specific zone assigned for curbside pickup so that it is highly visible to the customers. Businesses need to ensure that this area is visible, organized, and marked with signs to accommodate different vehicles simultaneously. It also shouldn’t disrupt the flow of the parking lot or restrict access for in-store shoppers. The choice of expansion, contraction, or movement of the curbside pickup zone will rely on the pace with which it serves customer demand. 
   
• Make customers informed 
  When the buyers finish the checkout, they should often be informed about the order status. The updates should define the address and details of when the order will be ready for pickup. Retailers also need to outline the curbside pickup and mention if showing the order ID on the application is enough to receive the purchased products or if an ID needs to be displayed. The more data the retailers offer the customer, the more opportunity they have to gain loyalty. 
   
• Leverage modern OMS and a store fulfillment app
  The advanced OMS (Order Management System) software lets retailers manage orders, inventory, and fulfillment using a single system. It offers real-time visibility to inventory levels throughout the network, implements accurate order processing, and minimizes the risk of stockouts. Also, the DOM (Distributed Order Management) system helps with advanced routing and allocation. It ensures the curbside orders get fulfilled with inventory from the nearest accessible store, distribution center, or warehouse. This also improves the speed and customers’ convenience. Nevertheless, a store fulfillment app streamlines omnichannel fulfillment workflows and encourages retail store associates to provide advanced fulfillment options like BOPIS (Buy Online, Pick Up in Store) and curbside pickup.
   
• Conduct end-to-end staff training 
  Employees play a vital role in the e-commerce buyer journey. You can train your employees about the curbside pickup processes with in-depth attention to customer service, safety, brand image, and efficiency. Dedicating a part of the staff to curbside pickup also accelerates picking, packing, and customer handoff. 
   
• Use Data Analytics 
  This plays an integral role in the optimization of curbside pickup operations. It helps retailers monitor and analyze data to understand customer behavior, purchase patterns, and peak pickup times. This helps in refining decisions to improve staffing levels, allocate resources efficiently, and forecast inventory demands. 
   
• Encourage customer awareness 
  Retailers should encourage customers to utilize curbside pickup and build awareness of the fulfillment option, which demands marketing and high website design to change customer behavior. Customers and CSRs (Customer Service Representatives) should have effective and timely communications for curbside pickup. For complete transparency, order status alerts, instructions for pickup, possible delays, and related updates should be sent promptly to customers via SMS, email, or app notifications. 

Big retail brands like Walmart and Target have been the initial ones to offer curbside pickup. However, this order fulfillment method is favorable to retailers of all sizes. Presently, smaller retailers are eventually utilizing this service. They advertise curbside pickup options with their social media and e-commerce websites. Here are some examples:

Clothes Mentor 
Offers designer clothing and gently used accessories/apparel. The brand offers curbside pickup and shipping options. Customers can see the option to ship up and pick up from the checkout page. 

Whiskeyjack Boutique 
The brand sells Canadian-made gifts and presently offers curbside pickups. They use Shopify POS for all the pickups and online orders. It enables printing delivery slips to attach the orders, making it easy to find once the customer reaches for pickup.

True North Yarn Co. 
The brand advertises curbside pickup on its website and also on Instagram. Resident customers can opt for ‘free curbside pickup’ during checkout and staff reaches out to customers once the order is ready. 

Caboose Boutique 
Caboose Boutique provides free shipping when you spend more than $100. However, curbside pickup is free, regardless of whatever you spend. Customers get a usual checkout experience, but they can opt for curbside pickup rather than shipping. 

Curbside pickup has evolved into the most popular and convenient delivery option for customers all over the world. Offering curbside delivery scales your business and helps you generate revenue. Rest assured, your customers can get a secure and contactless solution compared to in-store purchases. Thus, you might fall behind if you don’t provide curbside pickup.

But, while implementing curbside pickup, you should ensure effortless inventory and resources between physical and online stores. This synchronizes pickup order-related information and schedule. Hence, an advanced POS system is essential to incorporate curbside pickup in your omnichannel strategy.

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