Offering a BOPIS (Book Online Pickup In-Store) rental experience is essential to meeting customers’ requirements nowadays. Many eCommerce companies already take advantage of this model (in the form of buy online pick up in-store), but how can it benefit your rental business? Keep reading this blog post to find out more and see if this is an opportunity you should be pursuing.
What is book online pick up in-store?
Book online pick up in store is our adaptation of BOPIS (Buy Online Pickup In-Store), also referred to as click and collect. With BOPIS, rental customers don’t have to call or email during business hours to make a booking and can book anytime they like through an online store.
Many brands and retailers in the eCommerce industry have been using the BOPIS model, including big names like Apple. It gives the customers the best of both worlds by shopping online, picking up their product sooner in person, and avoiding disappointment.
It is also the perfect way to drive foot traffic to your rental business and bridge the gap between traditional stores and the online shopping experience that we love so much these days.
If you’re thinking about adding book online pick up in-store to your rental strategy, it is essential to understand what it is, how it works, and how it can benefit both you and your customers.
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How does book online pick up in-store work?
BOPIS gives customers more flexibility when it comes to booking your rental products. It’s much more convenient to book products whenever you want online than to have to call or email to rent products. So, how does it work?
1. Customers book online through your website
Book online pickup in-store creates a convenient experience for your customers by allowing them to complete a booking online. It will enable them to book outside of business hours and choose a convenient time to pick their items up. It avoids the annoyance of walking into your rental store and hoping that something is available at that time. With real-time updates to availability on your rental store, they can quickly and easily make a booking without having to deal with a real person.
2. You fulfill the order
When someone books something through your online store, you can locate it and get it ready for the customer to pick up. They will know that the item is set aside and prepared for them to pick up when the booking has been made. This makes for a much more stress-free booking experience than traditional walk-in traffic.
3. Customers pick up their rentals
Customers can come into your store and pick up the item at a convenient time for them that they chose when making the booking. This process must be made clear on your website to avoid people showing up whenever they want and with software like Booqable, you have a lot of control over date and time selection.
The benefits of BOPIS for your rental business
These days, people want the most convenient rental experience possible that saves them both time and money. Like in eCommerce, rental businesses notice the benefits of offering an online booking service to their customers. It helps your rental company to stay competitive and meet the needs of your customers.
So, how can BOPIS benefit rental store owners?
1. Increased bookings
With the convenience of booking online and picking up rental items in-store, customers can look at everything you have available. They could have been thinking about buying something but then seeing that you have it to rent and decide to spend more money with you.
2. Reduced admin time
Spending several hours a week taking phone calls, responding to emails, and filling out spreadsheets isn’t ideal. With online bookings, you can eliminate this admin time almost entirely. Customers do all the hard work for you, and you just have to get their products ready for them to pick up.
3. Improve inventory management
Having an online store allows you to streamline your inventory management and get real-time updates to your stock. This helps to prevent double bookings and any confusion that could arise from poor communication. It also means that you can keep a report of your rental bookings and more accurately plan for expansion.
And how do customers benefit?
1. Quicker service
When customers book online, they know that their items will be ready for them at the designated pickup time. It also improves your planning and helps avoid human error as you’re preparing orders for the day.
2. Guarantee that the items they want are in stock
With online bookings, you can pick and pack your customer’s order before they arrive and reserve it for them. This means that customers know 100% that the item will be there for them, which often isn’t the case with walk-in bookings or booking over the phone, as fewer errors can occur.
3. Quick pickups
When customers set the pickup and return times themselves, it means that you can be prepared for them when they return. In addition, this makes the handover process much quicker when they arrive to pick up their items and come back to return them.
