Free Curbside Pickup May Be A Thing of the Past
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly propelled e-commerce sales, thus influencing many retailers. Curbside pickup has emerged as a popular option for customers who want to shop online but prefer not to enter stores due to health concerns. It's more convenient and safer for customers to pick up their orders without leaving cars. Customers can drive to a store or designated pickup location, and make a phone call to notify the staff. Then the staff will bring their order out to their car. This service has been increasingly popular during the pandemic and is likely to remain a well-liked choice for online shoppers even after the pandemic.
According to a survey of merchants' delivery services conducted by CouponBirds, 54% of the merchants offer curbside pickup for customers.
The research shows that over 20% of merchants are food or fast food restaurants, 18.52% are department stores, 16.67% are clothes, and 11.11% are products for home and garden. Beauty, crafts, grocery, office supplies, and sports each account for 3.7%.
Over the past year, 40% of Americans tried a new shopping method and nearly three-quarters of people have tried curbside pickup. Curbside pickup helps customers bridge the gap between online and in-person shopping by providing a chance to enjoy a similar in-store shopping experience.
Although more merchants are providing curbside pickup nowadays, this contactless delivery is not always free for customers. Recently, Sam's Club has announced that from June 28th, they will not provide free curbside pickup for basic members, while this service will still be free to Plus members. More retailers now charge for this delivery service.
According to CouponBirds' survey, 20% of the merchants either charge for the contactless delivery service or offer free curbside pickup only when customers meet the conditions, such as the minimum ordering requirement. Retailers like Kroger offer free curbside pickup for orders totaling $35 or more, while Michaels charges $9.99 for a curbside pickup.
The current labor shortage and rising wages force merchants to mitigate their costs. Costs occur when retailers provide curbside pickup, and it is expected that fewer retailers will offer free curbside pickup and more merchants will charge more for the items selected, introduce a curbside pickup fee, set a minimum ordering requirement, or a combination of these alternatives.
Reference
1. Tamara Charm, Becca Coggins, Kelsey Robinson, and Jamie Wilkie, "The great consumer shift: Ten charts that show how US shopping behavior is changing".
2. Alli, "Free Sam's Club Curbside Pickup Is Ending for Basic Members on June 28th".
