Auburn University studies shopper reactions to BOPIS substitutions.
A new study from Auburn University’s Harbert College of Business reported that consumers who buy online and pick up in-store, a process known as BOPIS or click and collect, are more likely to be satisfied with substitutions for out-of-stock products when the item is a staple like ketchup or paper towels rather than a pleasure-loving item like coffee or perfume.
Pictured is Dora Bock, associate professor in Auburn’s Department of Marketing. Bock, along with Miami University in Ohio faculty members Yao “Henry” Jin and Monique Ueltschy Murfield, recently conducted a study that found online shoppers picking up items in store react to product substitutions based on the type of item.
“For products viewed as utilitarian or fulfilling consumers’ practical needs, retailers should use substitutes that have similar specifications, but are not necessarily the same brand,” said Dora Bock, associate professor in the Department of Marketing. “For products that are more hedonic or experiential, we see that consumers react somewhat similarly to substitutes that are either the same brand as the original order or [have the] same specifications.”
Bock conducted the study with Miami University in Ohio faculty members Yao “Henry” Jin, associate professor of management, and Monique Ueltschy Murfield, associate professor and director of the Center for Supply Chain Excellence.
Their paper, “Do as you say or I will: Retail signal congruency in buy-online-pick-up-in-store and negative word-of-mouth,” was published online Sept. 15 in the Journal of Business Logistics.
The popularity of BOPIS shopping for groceries, apparel, home furnishings, beauty items and other products accelerated during the past two years as some consumers chose to limit their outings in public.
“BOPIS grew over 500% in some industries,” said Bock, citing data from unified commerce leader Kibo, which helps retailers, manufacturers and brands engage their shoppers. “This increase is largely a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and more shoppers willing to try alternative shopping methods for health and safety reasons.”
In addition to the shift in shopping preferences, nearly all retailers, including Target, Walmart, Kohl’s, Kroger and Publix, experienced unprecedented supply chain snafus that resulted in product shortages.
Given the convergence of these two phenomena, their research has practical implications for retailers who offer BOPIS as an option to customers—namely their results provide new insight into how customers react to different substitutions and will play a role in demand and inventory planning.
