What is BOPIS (Buy Online, Pick Up In Store)?

BOPIS — Buy Online, Pick Up In Store — is an omnichannel fulfillment strategy that allows customers to browse and purchase products through a brand's website or mobile app and then collect their orders at a designated physical store location. Also known as click-and-collect, this model bridges the convenience of online shopping with the immediacy of in-store availability, eliminating shipping costs and wait times for the customer while driving foot traffic and incremental sales for the retailer. BOPIS has evolved from a niche convenience feature into a mainstream customer expectation, accelerated dramatically by shifts in consumer behavior and the growing demand for flexible fulfillment options.

Why It Matters

BOPIS addresses several fundamental friction points in the e-commerce experience. Shipping costs remain one of the top reasons for cart abandonment, and BOPIS eliminates this barrier entirely. Delivery timing is another concern — even with fast shipping options, customers cannot always be home to receive packages, leading to missed deliveries, porch theft, or inconvenient pickup from carrier facilities. BOPIS gives customers control over when and where they receive their orders, on their own schedule.

For retailers, BOPIS offers compelling strategic advantages beyond customer satisfaction. Research consistently shows that 60 to 80 percent of BOPIS customers make additional in-store purchases when they arrive to collect their online orders. This incremental revenue — often on higher-margin impulse items — significantly boosts the economic value of each BOPIS transaction compared to a pure ship-to-home order.

BOPIS also reduces fulfillment costs for the retailer. Shipping individual packages to customers via parcel carriers is expensive, especially for bulky or heavy items. Fulfilling from store inventory eliminates last-mile shipping costs entirely. When combined with ship-from-store capabilities, BOPIS-enabled locations effectively function as distributed fulfillment nodes, reducing average delivery distance and cost across the network.

The competitive landscape makes BOPIS increasingly essential. Major retailers including Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, and Nordstrom have invested heavily in BOPIS capabilities, setting customer expectations that smaller retailers must now meet. Brands without click-and-collect options risk losing customers to competitors who offer the convenience of immediate, free pickup.

How It Works

Implementing BOPIS requires coordination across e-commerce technology, store operations, and inventory management. The customer journey and operational workflow proceed through several stages:

• Online browsing with store availability: The customer shops on the brand's website or app and sees real-time inventory availability at their local store or nearby locations. Accurate, store-level inventory data is essential — advertising an item as available for pickup when it is actually out of stock at that location creates a terrible customer experience.
• Order placement with pickup selection: The customer selects the click-and-collect option at checkout, choosing their preferred pickup location. The order is placed and payment is processed. A confirmation notification is sent indicating that the order is being prepared.
• Store fulfillment: The order is routed to the selected store, where a staff member receives the pick request, retrieves the item from the sales floor or back stock, verifies it against the order, and prepares it for customer collection. The item is placed in a designated pickup staging area.
• Pickup notification: Once the order is prepared, the customer receives a notification — typically via email and SMS — confirming that their order is ready for pickup. This notification includes the store address, pickup area location, operating hours, and any required identification or order number.
• Customer collection: The customer arrives at the store and collects their order from a dedicated pickup counter, curbside station, or locker system. Staff verify the customer's identity and order number before releasing the merchandise. Curbside pickup options allow customers to remain in their vehicle while staff bring the order out.

Operational Requirements

Successful BOPIS implementation demands investment in several operational areas that many retailers underestimate:

• Real-time store-level inventory accuracy: BOPIS cannot function without accurate inventory data at each store location. This requires robust POS integration, regular cycle counts, and inventory management processes that account for in-store activities like damages, theft, and display stock.
• Dedicated store fulfillment staffing: Picking BOPIS orders from a retail environment is different from picking in a warehouse. Store staff must navigate customer-facing spaces, locate items that may have been moved by shoppers, and balance BOPIS fulfillment with other store duties. Dedicated staffing or clear scheduling protocols prevent fulfillment from degrading the in-store customer experience.
• Designated pickup infrastructure: A clearly marked, conveniently located pickup area improves the collection experience. This may include dedicated counter space, storage shelving for staged orders, curbside parking spots, or automated locker systems.
• Communication systems: Automated notifications at each stage — order received, order ready, pickup reminder — keep customers informed and reduce "where is my order" inquiries. Integration with SMS and email platforms is essential.

How Nventory Helps

Nventory enables BOPIS by providing real-time store-level inventory visibility across your entire retail network. When a customer selects click-and-collect, Nventory verifies store availability, routes the fulfillment request to the selected location, and triggers staff notifications for order preparation. Automated customer communications keep buyers informed from order placement through pickup readiness. Inventory counts are updated in real time as orders are fulfilled, ensuring that availability displayed online always reflects the true state of each store's stock. For brands operating both e-commerce and physical retail, Nventory provides the unified inventory and order management foundation that makes BOPIS operationally seamless.