Paired with online stores, physical retail is seeing a resurgence of the modern 1980s omnichannel retail strategy of shop-in-catalog, pick-up-in-store model. Today, catalog sales have transitioned to ecommerce; however, the omni-channel strategy is still the same in the current buy-online, pick-up-in-store (BOPIS) model. Omnichannel is back, and there are big benefits to leaning into this for the sporting goods market.
What Caused the Shift?
As retailers were spinning up ecommerce sites during the 1990s, the omnichannel concept was updated from print to online catalogs and pushed customers to pick-up or ship purchases. With baby boomer and Gen X generations’ hard shift to direct-shipped online purchasing and the birth of online-only retailers, most businesses realized that physical retail stores became a high-cost model that were generating a fraction of their sales. By the early 2000s, we started seeing a major collapse of brick-and-mortar retail stores; however, that trend is changing significantly. The millennial and Gen Z generations now have disposable incomes, families and homes and statistically enjoy and prefer the physical in-store shopping experience. In fact, a 2024 Lightspeed Commerce - State of Retailer Report noted a major shift that 56% of these new buying generations do their shopping in a store. Additional sources note these generations value many small purchase trips and in-store shopping as a social event and gratification of physical interaction with products before purchase. The caveat is these generations were raised in a digital world, and they expect seamless online and in-store operations.
What is True Omnichannel vs Quick Commerce (Q-Commerce)?
Omnichannel integrates digital and physical shopping, enhancing convenience with buy-online, pick-up-in-store (BOPIS), reserve-online, and fast delivery options. Q-Commerce is just the instant delivery of that model — think delivery within seconds or minutes vs hours where someone could be walking in from the parking lot ordering something for pickup. According to a PYMNTS buyer report, 23% of orders are now in-store pick-up. Though some mega retailers can offer limited same-day delivery of some items, the instant need or gratification of seamlessly picking up minutes later in a store has advantages for the customers and retailers. Customers get what they want and, hopefully, have a positive experience that brings them to your store and increases brand loyalty. For the retailer, omnichannel delivers higher brand loyalty, increases of customer LTV (lifetime value) and an opportunity for in-store browsing for additional sales.
For retailers, there is also a real ROI for offering in-store pickup. According to the PYMNTS buyer report, 47% of customers purchased additional items when picking up an online order. An IMC 2025 report noted an average 20% incremental revenue uplift by pickup in-store shoppers. If you are not offering pickup in-store, you are passing up a lot of revenue. The Q-Commerce model has some promise, accelerating this higher ROI option if retailers can actually deliver.
The other ROI is that the savings for in-store pickup is offsetting the high cost of shipping. Most retailers have negative ROI on many items due to discounted or free shipping options. To make matters worse, most retailers have fixed shipping prices for several years that do not realistically reflect the significantly increased shipping and packaging rates. This erodes margin quickly or flips to an unprofitable model when the cart margin is not high and/or the items are big, heavy, and/or bulky and require more expensive shipping. Pickup in store can flip ROI positive quickly, especially if customers buy more during each pickup visit.
But the Process Had Better Work
For the small retailer, thinking through this process takes commitment. Dropping the ball on out-of-stock inventory and/or during the customer pickup process is a fast way to lose customers permanently. We have all experienced the missteps of receiving an email that the order is ready for pickup only to find after a 20-minute drive that no one knows where the order is or the store is out of stock. This is not just a process one or two key staff need to understand and deliver, but one every employee needs to be trained on. Literally, immediate need is the reason the customers are picking up the order vs waiting to have it shipped. There is a saying that time kills all deals, and in this case, customer wait time will kill brand loyalty — customers need seamless and fast order pickup.
Great Process and Quick-Fix Work-Arounds
I have helped many of the top 5,000 retailers in the nation build these omnichannel systems for the last 30 years, and none of them have it completely figured out — they are still working through processes decades later. There are work-arounds and quick fixes when process, data, and store layout are not optimized.
Designated Pickup Point In-Store — Customers now expect clear signage and a designated pickup point and maybe a special parking space. Historically, the customer service counter has been a natural pickup point; however, small retailers may want to just designate the primary register as the pickup point. Yes, you do absolutely need a big sign that says “Online Pickups Here.” This will not only prevent dozens of questions a day to staff but also promote to customers that you now have buy-online, pick-up-in-store options. During the peak sales periods, there should be a fully staffed “pickups only” register to keep the other registers open and moving.
Limit Inventory Hiccups — Inventory should be pulled within minutes of when orders come in, especially if you are pulling from live on-floor inventory. These orders should be placed in a secure bag- or bin-organized cage with the item and copy of order. For higher-volume retailers pulling live inventory, a set of “order pickers” should be actively pulling inventory to assure you are never double-selling inventory. As used in most larger retailers, a secure locked cage placed inside the pickup location is the best option to prevent theft and promote organization. An alphabetical organized bin system inside the cage will keep things moving fast.
Spell Out the Process — Online order confirmations should also include the customer instructions on exactly where to go, what to do for order pickup, how they will be notified when the order is ready for pickup, and what ID and information to bring. Most experts also recommend that a photo ID matching the order/payment information is mandatory, along with a digital or physical paper signature signoff. For some items, it is perfectly reasonable that items may not be stocked; however, order confirmations need to be clear about where and when the order will be ready. Most ecommerce packages offer in-store pickup options to be able to look up and mark the order as picked up; however, these are usually add-on packages.
To make the process easier for employees, make sure the order confirmation that customers may print out or bring in to show on a digital device has more than just a pickup order scan code. It should include all the information about the order, products, and notes in case you need to search manually for the order. I’ve lost count of how many large retailers wanted to overly simplify a pickup email for customers to just a scan code image… and then the store scanner went offline and the process fell apart. Always have a plan B and C.
Managing Around Inventory Accuracy — Assume your inventory is never close to correct, and if you have a problem with theft, damage or staff pilferage, it may be worse than you think. Another issue is assuring damaged or clearance inventory is not included in counts for first-quality new merchandise. It is recommended to do a full physical inventory before turning on in-store pickups. A fix is to reduce available online inventory by 20%. This is easier when you have five or more of an item; however, when you have less, it would be smart to offer messaging to buyers so they know potential restocking lead times if it is not immediately available.
Staff Training — Every employee should understand the online ordering and pick-up-in-store process, and preferably, every cashier should be fully trained on how to manage pickup orders. A great idea is just to laminate a simple drawing with the customer process on one side and the in-store employee process/systems used to support the orders on the other side. I saw how effective this simple training tool was firsthand with a major retailer training up holiday staff. The laminated process paired with a printed Customer Pickup Instructions page and was referenced continuously at the pickup counter by both customers and staff.
Final Thoughts on Omnichannel BOPIS
Physical retail is making a comeback — powered by a modern revival of the classic omnichannel model that blends online convenience with in-store experience.
Millennials and Gen Z — digital natives who now have strong purchasing power — are driving this shift back to in-person retail. They value the social and tactile experience of shopping in stores, but they expect seamless digital integration. For retailers, omnichannel operations can yield major ROI: nearly half of BOPIS customers make additional purchases during pickup, and pickup orders avoid the rising costs of shipping.
The key to success lies in flawless execution — accurate inventory, clear signage and well-trained staff. Even small retailers can compete by creating efficient pickup systems, secure storage “cages,” and clear communication with customers. A well-designed omnichannel experience not only boosts sales but also strengthens brand loyalty, turning physical retail into a powerful driver of digital-era growth.
About the author: Tony Arnold, CEO of Brown Bacon AI, previously served as Chief Marketing Strategist for IBM Watson & Cloud and CMO at Berkshire Hathaway, where he influenced digital, AI and cloud strategies. Arnold’s educational background includes degrees from Harvard Business School and the University of Nebraska (MBA).
