There is a lot of talk on the new ecommerce trends that are here to stay after the pandemic is long gone. As economies in different parts of the world begin to open up, one new service that has remained not only a business lifesaver, but also a customer favorite is curbside pickup. Whether you call it store pickup, click and collect, buy online pickup in store or a combination of all, curbside pickup is a powerful service that can transform your customers shopping experience into a positive one.
Shopify merchants are in the sweet spot of seeing the benefits of adding curbside pickup and how it can bring in higher sales. “Data shows that online shoppers have a 25% higher cart size” when ordering and choosing local delivery or curbside pickup as an option, according to Shopify. Seaside Seafood, a family-owned business, went from taking phone orders for 43 years to online ordering and curbside pickup recently and grew their sales.
Here are some incredible ways, Shopify merchants are promoting their curbside pickup service and making sure their customers have the best shopping experience ever.
1. Social Media
Social Media is not only a necessary marketing tool, but it is becoming a powerful ecommerce tool itself. 60% of consumers find new products on Instagram alone.
Through social media, you can let customers know about your curbside pickup option and process. Macarons Canada, perfectly uses their Instagram account to remind their customers they offer curbside pickup and their store hours in their captions.
- Use Instagram Stories and Instagram Highlights to show your curbside pickup process
- Use video content to show your designated curbside pickup location
- Use your most popular social media channels to incentivize your customers on opting for curbside pickup through special deals and discounts
Businesses of all sizes are beginning to focus on making their social media platforms, a part of their ecommerce strategy. “With more than 130 million people clicking on Instagram shopping posts each month and with apps like Pinterest and TikTok continuing to expand a range of e-commerce options like dedicated shopping tabs and in-app purchases, brands across all industries should start focusing on their social commerce sales strategy,” says Sophie Gil, Audience Marketer at Buffer.
“Instagram will be the future of social commerce and of online commerce in general. The coronavirus pandemic accelerated online shopping adoption."
2. Popups on Your Shopify store
Popups on your Shopify store are a great way to guide your customers to a specific page or to simply remind them of an important notice like free delivery, a coupon or the option to use curbside pickup. It’s a gateway for your customers to explore more products such as new releases. Popups can incentivize customers to apply a special discount or coupon code at checkout, offer special curbside pickup deals and create some upsell opportunities.
3. Update your Google Business Profile
Billions of searches are happening all the time on Google. 3.5 billion google searches per day to be exact. A google search is always the first place, potential and returning customers go, to access your website. You can optimize your Google My Business profile by adding all your business details, including whether you offer a curbside pickup service. Google offers different badges on a Google My Business listing that can quickly let customers know you offer curbside pickup. This is available globally and can be accessed by filling out a Google form.
The Unlikely Florist example that offer curbside pickup and in-store pickup, displayed through a Google search.
4 . Email Notifications
Email notifications have the ability to connect you directly with your customers through their inbox. To avoid over sending, focus on high quality emails that tell the most important information to your customers. Ecommerce brands on Shopify have used their emails to let customers know curbside pickup deals on certain products and how their process works.
- Notify your customers of any changes in your curbside pickup process
- Use emails to send special deals customers can access when choosing curbside pickup
- Have a designated curbside pickup team? Introduce them in your email campaigns
Belle Isle Moonshine sent out this email newsletter not only with special deals, but to let their customers know which products are available for store pickup.
5. Provide Curbside Pickup Incentives
Who doesn’t love free things! Offering curbside pickup incentives are a great way to create loyal customers to use your curbside pickup service. Puree Juice Bar offers a free juice or shake when customers select store pickup at their checkout cart. Puree Juice lets their customers know this right away with a banner displayed at the top of their website, which allows customers to always opt in for this service.
6. Designated Space
Whether you are introducing curbside pickup as a new service or keeping it as a permanent option, you now have an opportunity to enhance or reinvent your customer service experience. A designated space for your customers to collect their pickup orders will help internal logistics and your team operate smoothly. Having a designated space will let both team members and customers know where exactly to grab orders and make pickup efficient.
Ensure all team members understand the logistics of your curbside pickup process and are fully trained. With a designated space, ensure orders are ready when customers arrive. Set pickup times and how long a product will require preparation time or if you need to designate certain days for curbside pickup orders only.
Tea room, Tea At The White House, perfectly captures their designated curbside pickup space and clearly shows this through their social media profile and posts across different platforms.
7. Integrate with other Tools
Integrate with tools on Shopify that will help take your curbside pickup service to a level that works for you and provides a great experience for your customers. There are various Shopify apps that can help merchants with emails, popups, social media marketing and tagging orders. One of the popular features Shopify merchants utilize with curbside pickup is “date and time picker,” which lets customers choose when and where to pick up their orders. This is a great tool for merchants with multiple brick and mortar locations. Shopify merchants can select location and product availability down to 10-minute intervals.
Famous Amos in Singapore has over 18 locations customers can pick up their orders from. The seamless store pickup options make it a breeze to shop and collect orders.
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Curbside pickup is a great service that can not only add revenue to your business, but enhance your shoppers experience through excellent customer service. It gives incentives and overall allow your products to become more accessible.
Try a 30-day free trial of Store Pickup and Delivery and get set up through our free one on one setup call with our customer support team.
