Sponsored by: FlexPost
Date: December 5, 2022
Grocers continue to reassess store operations in the wake of the pandemic, taking note of which changes in consumer habits were a temporary response to the changed landscape and which are here to stay. Curbside pickup and delivery, for example, remain many consumers’ preferred way to shop. While the safety concerns associated with in-store shopping have subsided, the added convenience of same-day services maintains its appeal.
According to a study from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the SCAN Foundation, 33% of adults younger than 50 years old (and 18% of adults 50+) who started using curbside pickup during the pandemic say they expect to continue using the service. This shows a greater loyalty to pickup than to delivery—comparatively, 22% of adults under 50 (and 9% of adults 50+) say they expect to continue having groceries delivered. Similarly, in a 2021 Mercatus survey, 75% of respondents said curbside pickup is their preferred way to get online orders placed with food retailers.
To keep shoppers satisfied and make their curbside experience stand out, grocers need to fully deliver on convenience. This means getting customers their orders fast: According to the July 2022 ChaseDesign Online Shopper Survey report, 10% more curbside pickup shoppers complained about the time wasted in their cars waiting for their order in 2022 versus the year prior.
To ameliorate any obstacles to efficient order fulfillment, setting up clear signage for pickup spots (curbside or otherwise) helps ensure both customers and employees can reach their destination quickly and easily. Plus, choosing signage that’s easy to install and maintain helps save labor from the outset. Solutions from FlexPost, for example, offer easy setup and improved longevity thanks to a patented steel spring technology that allows signs to bend and withstand repeated impacts from vehicles—and minimize damage done to vehicles, too.
Analysis:
From this article, I learned that curbside continues to grow in importance. With its growing popularity, the importance of maintaining parking spots and parking lots is becoming even more critical. FlexPost has designed a product to help minimize the cost of repairs and maintenance to provide stores with reliable signage for their curbside pickup areas that will save them money down the road. It also has made me more aware of the location of the curbside spots within a parking lot and why specific areas were chosen to minimize the injury of their staff and the signage.
