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Why It's Important to Let People Shop Wherever They Want

Meet Your Customers Where They Are

When I sat down to write this blog, I planned to talk about the growing importance of “buy online pick-up in store” (BOPIS) and “buy online return in store” (BORIS) to today’s omnichannel retailers. These customer service tactics are increasingly popular with consumers who like the convenience of accepting deliveries or returning online purchases in person instead of waiting for delivery by mail.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that in-store fulfillment is just one facet of a much more significant retail transformation: by shifting from conventional channels to local fulfillment centers, large e-tailers and big department stores are becoming hyper-focused on neighborhood needs. The ability to meet customers where they are is an increasingly important competitive advantage for even the most successful brands.

"Free Yourself" from These 3 Delivery Challenges

Online shopping—for both goods and services—has become common practice in nearly every nation around the world. Some people choose to shop online for convenience, with door to door free shipping playing a significant role. Others are more price-conscious: an internet-only sale makes purchasing online a real cost-cutter. Still others shop online due to necessity: there are many brands out there that are online-only, and even some brick-and-mortar retailers only sell particular merchandise, like clearance or artisan goods that you can't find in stores, through an online channel. Or, they live in a region where the store they want to buy from is not local.