Rue21 to launch BOPIS in over 700 stores

Dive Brief:

Teen apparel retailer Rue21 is working with technology firm Mastek to launch buy online, pick up in-store capabilities in all of its more than 700 brick-and-mortar locations, according to a Mastek press release.
The companies started the project by working on website design and implementation of the capability. They also tackled the integration of the website, order management systems, customer service tools and fulfillment provider using Oracle Commerce and MuleSoft solutions, the press release said.
The BOPIS rollout began in January, and will be available at all locations by the end of March of this year.

Dive Insight:

Rue21's BOPIS launch follows a survey from Doddle that found 68% of consumers had used a retailer's BOPIS offering multiple times.

As a retail concept, BOPIS has been around for several years, although consumers are getting more comfortable using its services. While an offer to pick up something in-store a few years ago might have seemed strange and maybe more labor-intensive than waiting for it to arrive on their doorsteps, the ability to save money on shipping and having an item in-hand sooner are persuasive arguments for using a retailer's BOPIS offering.

The array of retailers offering BOPIS has become numerous enough that other studies, such as one released last month from OrderDynamics and Bell and Howell, have sought to understand which factors are offering the best BOPIS experience. That study found that speed of availability was a key to success. For example, Bed Bath & Beyond filled 72% of is BOPIS orders in less than one hour, and had an average order-fill time of 2.1 hours.

However, services must be reliable, too. After 300 visits to websites to use different BOPIS services, the same study found that 24% of the orders were not ready for pickup even after alerts had been sent to customers saying they were ready. As more retailers deploy BOPIS on a wider basis, the reliability of one retailer's program compared to another's could become a much bigger competitive issue.

The latest news on the retailer's BOPIS program comes after Rue21 late last year chose Kibo Systems as the supplier of its order management system and related fulfillment capabilities.