Many Consumers View Stores As Online Shopping Extensions, a Survey Finds

Buy online, pick up in store is now a mainstream expectation for consumers, finds a survey from Kibo Software Inc., an e-commerce platform provider.

In the Kibo “2018 Consumer Trends Report” of 3,000 U.S. consumers, 67% said they made a purchase online and picked it up in a store in the past six months. This often is labeled “BOPIS.” Consumers use such services to bridge online and in-store commerce to take advantage of free order fulfilment and to gain control and flexibility not available via home delivery, Dallas-based Kibo said in a statement.

“Attitudes toward BOPIS further highlight the centrality of stores and their growing role as a solution for merchants to deliver flexible, free, and fast fulfillment,” the report said.

The survey also found that consumers more often—65% of the time—choose to shop on a retailer’s Web site when looking for a specific brand. Other popular shopping methods are in store, 47%; at a branded-manufacturer’s Web site, 31%; online marketplace, 27%; and in-store at a branded manufacturer’s location, 24%.

Consumers also ranked other factors, including some directly related to payments, that influence their purchasing behavior. At the top are product reviews, cited by 87%, followed by loyalty discounts, 86%.

Other top factors are friendly employees, 83%; a simple, streamlined shopping cart, 78%; and a display of the number of available items, 77%.