Online shopping is easy, convenient and hassle free. Items that may be out of stock at a brick and mortar store are easy to find online and can save customers a wasted trip on foot. Especially these days, retailers are selling more and more online. Browsing and buying online allows the consumer to research and read customer reviews of products before purchasing, order easily and then get their merchandise in rapid time. Unfortunately, thieves in neighborhoods love online shopping as well.
Known as porch pirates, these brazen criminals will swoop down onto porch, steps or lobbies to pilfer packages while people are at work or even at home. Porch piracy is on the rise. According to PracticalEcommerce, a study found that 43 percent of people surveyed had experienced package theft. It’s not just physical items that fall victim to porch piracy. Grocery and restaurant deliveries can be stolen before you even get to the front door.
A great way to prevent these thefts is to have packages delivered to – and dropped off at – a local neighborhood grocery or convenience store that someone already frequents. National Retail Solutions (NRS) has partnered with PUDOpoint, a pick-up and drop-off service now available for NRS POS stores. Retailers can sign up to participate and offer PUDO services for their customers, increasing foot traffic and boosting overall store revenue.
What is PUDO?
Pick-up and drop-off (hence the acronym PUDO) can be available at any designated location where consumers can receive and leave parcels to be sent out. This service is most typically utilized for picking up Ecommerce orders and dropping off returns.
What are the Benefits of Pudo?
Many of the neighborhoods that NRS services are urban, where porch piracy is especially prevalent. According to the New York Times, an astounding 90,000 packages disappear daily in New York City. So being able to head to the trusted local bodega, convenience or grocery store, a trip that would normally be made for groceries and other items anyway, is a convenient means of retrieving and sending packages without worry. Participating PUDO stores are conveniently listed online as expedient pick up and drop off locations.
As a retailer, establishing your store as a pick-up and drop-off location is beneficial to both your customers and your business. The rapid explosion of online buying also means a good amount of returns. By visiting an NRS PODUpoint store, it’s easy to drop off items to be returned. Often an online retailer requires the customer to drop off the package at a designated location in order to obtain a free return. Customers can stop at their local PUDOpoint location while going about their daily routine.
The NRS/PUDO partnership is worthwhile for business owners. As a package pick-up and drop-off point, you’ll see increased foot traffic from loyal customers happy that you’re keeping up with the times. Patrons old and new alike will most times buy items in your store when they come to drop-off or pick-up packages – more sales for the store! Customers that might never have otherwise shopped at your store, may become loyal patrons.
National Retail Solutions (NRS) makes signing up for NRS PODUpoint a cinch. After submitting the form at nrsplus.com/pudo, a PUDOpoint representative will contact you to get you started. It’s the NRS goal to help small and midsized independent businesses succeed, and this is just one more way your store can benefit. See details at nrsplus.com/pudo or contact NRS Sales at 833-289-2767.
