Rakuten, an eCommerce giant linking consumers to businesses, released a report in March demonstrating the value of Order-for-Pickup. Rakuten has a vested interested in this trend as they offer “Rakuten Ready” a mobile Order-for-Pickup (OfP) solution.
Interestingly, the study (across fast food establishments in 30 cities) was conducted prior to the Stay-In-Place orders issued by many states in relation to COVID-19. Anyone who has used this service under the “prior normal” knew the benefits of “beating the line,” and in our “new normal,” this benefit is further compounded.
For savvy business owners, this knowledge can go beyond food-service. Any business that can strategize product discovery and selection via a mobile device or a web browser can benefit from the insight provided by this study.
One of the four key takeaways, “Change customer perceptions,” about OfP has already been helped by the “new normal;” and two others, “Improve ROI” and “Focus on Shorter Wait Times and More accurate Orders,” should be attractive to all business owners. The final takeaway, “Reprioritize infrastructure, technology, and resource decisions,” is where you will need to focus your energy, but your staff should embrace the change, as it will reduce their risk. Need help with this? Give us a call.
