As expected, online consumer spending skyrocketed during Black Friday and Cyber Monday aka “Cyber Week” or “Cyber Five” during the COVID-19 pandemic. Retailers have been adapting to the new normal and getting prepped for this week since mid-March.

One trend that has emerged from Cyber Week is the shift to curbside, drive-through, or in-store pickup. During Black Friday, in-store and curbside pickup increased 52% over last year, according to Adobe. Retailers that offered curbside services for Thanksgiving sales saw a 31% higher conversion rate of traffic to their sites. According to Salesforce, store chains that offered curbside, drive-through and in-store pickup options in the U.S. increased digital sales at a 26% higher rate versus retailers that didn’t provide it during the first days of Cyber Week. (source retail dive)

“Curb-side and in-store pickup options are driving online sales,” said Dan Byrne, CRO, USPack. “Brick and mortar are enabling digital. Right now, retail inventory replenishment from hub and spoke distribution is key in enabling local retail stores to capitalize on this phenomena.” 

Curbside pick-up was once considered a “nice-to-have” service and is now proving to be table stakes for retailers mid and post-pandemic. In order to sustain this service offering, retailers need a logistics partner who can manage and reposition inventory at a hub and spoke store replenishment level. Providing products a day faster than a competitor to win the sale is the key to increasing conversion and ultimately gaining market share in this competitive and unprecedented economy. Retailers need a partner who can move a product from a warehouse or store to the customer’s preferred pick-up location quickly and affordably.   

Stores are not dead. In fact, retailers with a store presence who use digital technology proactively can increase sales by partnering with a logistics partner to give the consumer choice. Partnering with USPack can help your hub and spoke inventory management with speed and precision.