According to Adobe Analytics, the practice of ordering products online and then picking them up at stores has surged 208% compared with a year ago. This service is offered by most supermarkets such as Aldi and Ahold affiliates nationwide (Giant in Pennsylvania) as well as companies such as Target, Kohl's, Best Buy, and Dick's Sporting Goods.
In response to this, many retailers have had to partition off areas of their sales floors to hold orders for customers on their way for pick up. Off The Wall was called upon for a solution to help organize stores with this type of shopping and came up with an attractive partition system that is easily installed over-night.
Aldi's has gone a step further with refrigerated lockers numbered to keep the large number of orders straight. They fit snugly behind the partition walls.
Changes to the exterior of stores have also been made and Off The Wall offers signage to help maintain order outside as well.
Although the boom in curbside pickup started with Phase 1 of the coronavirus when contact-free purchasing and in-home delivery were recommended instead of in-store shopping, the trend looks as if it might continue well after the COVID crisis is over.
Industry experts believe that apart from shoppers feeling hesitant to return to stores and being adjusted to long stays at home, the convenience of acquiring everyday staples in this manner is indisputable.