As 2020 comes to a close, many retailers and consumers alike are looking forward to next year. There’s still one more opportunity to close out the year on a positive note: the holidays! Before the pandemic, retailers had decades of accurate data to pull from to create more precise holiday forecasts. Obviously, this year has been a bit more challenging.
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Contactless Doesn’t Mean Communicate Less
With the holiday shopping season nearly upon us, many retailers are wondering how this year’s numbers will compare to prior years. Since 2020 has been such an anomaly, it is hard to forecast exactly what will occur. Many retail industry experts are still unsure of what will happen during this holiday shopping season, especially during what are normally high traffic shopping days like Black Friday 1.
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Curbside Pick Up Isn’t Just for Food Anymore
In 2019, a lot of the retail spotlight was focused on BOPIS, Buy Online Pick Up In Store. Brick and Mortar retailers rushed to attract the latest trend of shoppers who wanted to save time and shipping costs by purchasing items ahead of time online and picking it up in store. Retailers loved how it was driving foot traffic to their stores, often leading to additional purchases once they were on site. Now, enter 2020 and COVID-19; another wrench is thrown into the retail industry. Retailers who were hesitant to implement BOPIS are now forced to offer the option or risk losing sales. 2020 not only highlighted the importance of BOPIS, but it also introduced a sister option: BOPAC, Buy Online Pick Up At Curb. According to a recent study, curbside orders have increased by 208% during the pandemic, and 59% of customers say they are more likely to continue curbside pickup after the pandemic.
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