Verizon Begins Offering Express Pickup Lockers
Verizon is offering a new addition to its buy online, pickup in-store (BOPIS) hybrid retail model, allowing people to pick up their purchases in lockers 24 hours a day.
“Time is precious, which is why we want to give our customers options that work for their busy lives,” Verizon Senior Vice President of Consumer Field Sales Kelley Kurtzman said in a news release Monday (April 25).
“Our lockers are a new and innovative way Verizon is bridging the gap between traditional retail and e-commerce, giving our customers more ways than ever to get what they need and get on with their day.”
The telecom company said it had installed secure lockers at 250 retail locations across the U.S., with more due to be added each month. In some locations, lockers are installed in areas where customers can pick up their purchases outside of normal Verizon store hours — even overnight.
Customers can select the Express Pickup Locker option (where available) when buying items online at the Verizon website or using the MyVerizon App.
Learn more: BOPIS Grows Basket Size as Most Consumers Buy Extra Items When Picking-Up In-Store
This wrinkle on BOPIS comes at a time when about 25% of eCommerce shoppers in the U.S. report having picked up their last online purchase in-store or via curbside, according to PYMNTS research.
In fact, 12% of consumers got their most recent online order by walking inside a brick-and-mortar store to get it from an employee or an in-store kiosk, while another 11% opted to use a curbside pickup.
Read more: Verizon Connect Unveils QuickBooks Integration
Last week, Verizon announced a collaboration between Verizon Connect — its fleet management unit — and tax software provider Intuit QuickBooks.
Through an integration of the two programs, Verizon Connect customers will get additional help preparing for next year’s tax season through a new invoicing and accounting feature designed to help field service organizations, which is “any customer managing the installation, maintenance or repair of hardware or equipment installed ‘in the field.’”