'Buy online, pick up in-store' feature to beat Christmas 2006 crowds
18 Dec '06
3 min read
Note to procrastinators: It's not too late to use the Internet to finish up your holiday shopping. This year, a number of well-known retailers are giving shoppers the ability to buy merchandise online then head to the store, where the item will be waiting for pick-up.
According to the National Retail Federation, 13.6 million consumers will try to beat the crowds by buying online and picking up items in a retail store this holiday season.
A list of retailers offering the “buy online, pick up in-store” option is posted at cybermonday.com, a website launched earlier this holiday season by NRF division Shop.org and powered by Mall Networks.
“By purchasing items online and picking them up in a retail store, holiday procrastinators are able to partner convenience with instant gratification,” said Shop.org Executive Director Scott Silverman.
“Up until Christmas Eve, shoppers will be browsing and buying from the comfort of their home before getting in their car to pick up the perfect gift. The only potential glitch is that they will still have to find parking.”
Offering a “buy online, pick up in-store” feature not only adds convenience to the customer, it also makes business sense for retailers.
According to the 2006 State of Retailing Online, an annual Shop.org study conducted by Forrester Research, online retailers with a “buy online, pick up in-store” feature say thatan average of one third of orders (31 percent) placed on their websites are picked up in the store.
marketing@alchempro.com
