With predictions pointing to Cyber Monday online sale revenues in excess of $ 9.4 billion this holiday season, and BOPIS orders set to increase by 39% over 2018 (Source: Adobe), today’s smart retailer is looking for ways to make the most of their Cyber Monday events.

A unique and memorable BOPIS (buy online, pick up in store) experience this Cyber Monday could turn out to be the year’s biggest driver to get online customers into your physical store.

In an environment where ease, time, and convenience rule, this big opportunity raises a big question—How does a retailer deliver a differentiated user experience that effectively (and profitably) converts the single-channel customer into a multi-channel customer?

Online Ordering Process

Whatever device or platform they use to buy online, customers value ease of purchase. So, providing a fluid online ordering process can significantly enhance your user experience satisfaction.

By clearly showing the number of items remaining in inventory in store (as close to real time as possible) and providing options and alternatives if a product is out of stock, your customers can make quicker decisions and limit the disappointment of not finding what they want.

Another way to add value to your online ordering process is to add flexibility to your checkout process. Provide the convenience to reserve online and pay in store, use multiple payment types, create mixed cart orders (direct ship and BOPIS) and allow modifications to a BOPIS order after it has been placed.

Complete the ordering process by providing your customer with specific next steps and clear pickup instructions.

Keep Communication Going

Timely customer notifications, such as order confirmation, order being processed, order ready for pickup, indicates that your business is engaged in and focused on streamlining the BOPIS process for its customers.

Online customers expect prompt about the status and progress of their order. Stay in contact by sending update information at key stages in their order. Inform them when the order is received, that it’s being processed, and ready for pickup. This demonstrates that you are diligently working for them and by association, saving them time.

Post pickup continue to build a lasting relationship by sending a personalized message about the item(s) purchased, after-sales support, new products, or upcoming events.

Success favours preparation

Be ready for the Cyber Monday BOPIS customer surge with proper staffing for each service point in store and a team of knowledgeable associates.

Customer-facing associates who keep having to go to the back store for online orders will give customers the impression that your store is not adequately set up for order pickups. Plus, it takes your in-store associates away from helping in-store customers find what they need and providing them with information on what they came to buy.

Reduce these logistics issues by adopting new retail solutions with mobility features. These tools can connect all employees to critical business systems like real-time inventory and order management. Or use mobile devices that allow in-store associates to communicate directly with the back store, so get orders to the pickup counter efficiently.

In-Store CX

When stepping into your store, it should be very apparent to your new and loyal customers that there is a distinctive value added to the in-store experience.

Focus on removing or at least minimizing trouble spots (both outside and inside the store) that can be perceived as inconvenient or time-consuming by customers. This means providing dedicated parking spots, placing a pickup kiosk or lockers in a practical location in the store, and displaying pickup signage.

Ensuring the entire process takes place is as seamlessly as possible, particularly in areas that create wait time, can increase the likelihood that your customers will have some extra time to shop around the store and add items to their cart—and repeat the experience regularly.

Have you made these adjustments to help your retail business master the BOPIS experience? We have solutions to support your success in making multi-channel customers out of all your shoppers—on Cyber Monday and throughout the year.

With sales growing significantly year over year, Black Friday has become the make or break event that retailers are counting on this key date to make or break their annual budgets. While the launch of the holiday season is always exciting, preparing your retail business for multichannel success can also be a source of stress for retailers.

No need to panic—We’ve got a little advice on how to take advantage of the high traffic with promotion, remarketing, and loyalty-building incentives that can give your customers a reason to come back.

Grab your customer’s attention

Your store has to stand above the fray in order for customers to show up. Generate interest for your customer by designing a very straightforward doorbuster deal campaign to lure them in.

Get a head start and prepare the email content, social media posts, copy, and images that you plan to use for the campaign. Having these assets created ahead of time will help you execute a successful marketing campaign that your customers remember and anticipate.

Get your customers energized with one absolutely irresistible promotion on a flagship item. Once inside the store, there is a high likelihood that many customers who come in for the doorbuster deal will pick up a couple of other items before they checkout.

Send emails to your subscribing customers and focus the copy on the item that you consider to be the most enticing. For a major event such as Black Friday, consider using your flagship product as a loss leader. You can make up the difference with customers adding other promoted products to their carts while they shop.

Design specific email and content to create a remarketing campaign targeting your existing customers. Use data about their purchase history to push more personalized notifications or even include some loyalty bonus for frequent customers. Shoppers who have already purchased from you once are more engaged and more willing to buy from you again.

Spruce up the store

Keep in mind that on Black Friday you are going to see a lot of customers who are not your regulars. A great first impression can usually influence whether they will buy from you again.

Right from the storefront, unfurl those promotional banners, display your wares in the windows, and have a greeter outside handing out flyers. Make sure nothing impedes your customer’s path into the store and that parking area is fully accessible.

Inside the store, clear out your floor space so customers circulate freely throughout. Remove any obstacle that may prevent customers from walking around high-profit display areas or getting to the featured promotions.

Ensure that your sales associates respect the company dress code to make them easy to recognize by customers as soon as they enter the store. Better yet, implement special attire for that day by having your staff wear a Black Friday cap or t-shirt.

Investing a little time to train your employees in preparation for the sale can have a huge impact on how successfully they interact with customers. Before the doors open, brief your staff on how to welcome customers into the store. Make sure that your employees are knowledgeable about the products that are on offer, not only your flagship items, but also the slow movers that you want to turn over during this event. Your staff should be able to provide information and answers about these products, quickly and courteously.

Have the products ready to go in your inventory. Use your retail management software tools to forecast and plan your inventory in preparation for the spike in demand. Inventory is a success critical element in your Black Friday sale.

Finish on a positive note by getting on your customers swiftly through the checkout process. Test your POS system to determine how well it can handle the increase in transactions. Fast transaction processing, whether for debit, credit, cash or money/gift cards, will extend the positive customer experience right through to the last step of the purchase.

Capture the multichannel shopper

With online revenue steadily on the rise, there is no doubt that the customers in your store have been browsing for bargains on their mobile or laptop devices.

Create lots of anticipation and buzz by putting a countdown banner on your homepage before the Black Friday kickoff. Link the CTAs in your email promotional communications and social media marketing straight to the items you want customers to see.

Build in scarcity whenever possible by letting customers see how many items are left and how many people are viewing the same product. Convey a sense of urgency by telling customers that time is running out on your deals and when the promotion will expire. There’s nothing wrong with creating a little FOMO!

If you offer next-day delivery or BOPIS use these marketing opportunities to promote the services extensively.

To reduce the risk of a crash, run a few tests to determine if your website can manage the surge in traffic. If you notice that there’s a potential for your website to get bogged down by an uptick in simultaneous demand, take a close look at your server load capacity and reconsider if it is still meeting your needs in terms of the number of website visitors that you can handle at once.

Our tips have covered the basics of what you can do to prepare for a successful Black Friday. And there is a retail management solution that can help you put these tips into practice and put your business in a winning position for the year’s biggest sales event.

One of the most critical and essential topics today is conscious consumerism and sustainability. With the rising trend of sustainability quickly becoming tomorrow’s expectation, retailers are under pressure to become “purpose-driven” brands.

Join our experts from ACCEO Retail-1 along with our guest retailer BESTSELLER as we present,

“How to build and foster stronger consumer relationships through responsible and conscious retailing.”

Today’s consumers increasingly favor sustainable companies that minimize their impact on people and the planet. The rise of social consciousness has each generation of consumers expecting companies to take a stand on current relevant issues such as sustainability, transparency, and fair employment practices. Join us and guest speaker, Stephanie Bleau of BESTSELLER, as we discuss how to become an enduring business with positive initiatives that will impact your brand reputation and value, customer loyalty, and future best practices. Learn how BESTSELLER is driving success with its “Fashion Forward Strategy.”

“I’m so excited to share the lessons learned through BESTSELLER’s ambitious sustainability journey and hopefully help inspire some of you to take the next step in transforming our industry into becoming more ecologically and economically responsible.” – Stephanie Bleau

ACCEO Solutions is committed to supporting retailers throughout their journey to becoming a sustainable business with comprehensive software solutions designed and developed for the future of retailing.

ACCEO Solutions is also exhibiting at NRF, visit us in booth 5565 and lets discuss how our technology is making a difference.

Learn more about ACCEO Retail-1

Join ACCEO retail solutions at one of the most exciting and anticipated retail technology events of the year – NRF2020!

Once again, ACCEO will be exhibiting our retail software solutions at NRF2020 Vision, taking place in New York at the Jacob Javits Center on January 12-14th, 2020, and we are excited to meet you!

Bring your future into focus. Join us in booth 5565 and learn how the ACCEO Retail-1 software is helping leading retailer’s respond to the complexity of today’s retail transformation!

With over 35 years of industry experience, we help thousands of retailers manage their businesses more successfully every day by leveraging a customizable unified commerce software that has been designed and developed to handle every aspect of modern retail operations in-store and online.

Why should you visit ACCEO? There are so many reasons, but we’ve managed to narrow it down to our TOP FIVE :).

1. Insight & Expertise

We know retail, and we understand the complexities of today’s industry. We innovate and develop software that responds to significant industry shifts and trends driven by new technology and consumer behaviour. We’ve been helping retailers successfully manage their business with our industry-leading retail solutions since 1983.

2. To Better your Business

Learn how ACCEO Retail-1 can transform your retail business. Gain software insight and discover how our complete Omnichannel software solution can drive your end-to-end business operations to success.

3. A Fresh Perspective

Innovation and product development are what drive our software forward. We are continuously improving and developing our product to exceed the industry norm and the expectations of our clients. Get a fresh perspective on retail software!

4. Sustainability Intelligence – Software That Cares

Discover how Retail-1 helps retailer’s in its mission to become a more sustainable business. Join us at NRF’s Exhibitor Big Ideas Session as we present alongside our client Bestseller – “How to build and foster stronger consumer relationships through responsible and conscious retailing.”

5. Visionary Talent

With over 100 years of combined retail experience, our knowledgable retail software experts will be on-hand to educate, inspire, and answer all of your questions!

Request a meeting with one of our experts and discover for yourself why seeing is believing!