Sophie Olde
October 9th, 2020
MKT 302
Retail in the News
On October 9th, 2020 authors Sapna Maheshwari and Michael Corkery wrote an article
for the New York Times entitled “Customers Still Like to Shop in Person, even if They Get Only
the Curb”. The article analyzes how the onset of Covid-19 changed the way people shop with the
adoption of curbside pick-up.
The trend started 2 days after lockdown by Dicks Sporting Goods who started offering
curbside pickup. This over the next few months was followed by 3/4 of the top 50 store-based
retailers. This allowed for the extended survival of book and mortar stores as e-commerce rises
as the primary mode of shopping. It also appeals to many shoppers that still have a desire to go in
store. There are some large benefits for both consumers and producers in this method of delivery.
The authors explain that, “Curbside allows certain big-box retailers to convert their stores into
mini e-commerce fulfillment centers, while avoiding the money-losing step of shipping goods to
homes.” (Maheshwari and Corkery). This means customers can get their products even faster
than normal home delivery. Additionally, the conversion of stores to fulfillment centers both
preserves retail jobs and drives profits for individual stores. For example, Target, which had a
buy online pick up in store option available years before, has been able to grow this segment of
the company 700% since last quarter.
This surmountable growth greatly relies on the success of each companies marketing
team. The tackling of ‘getting the word out’ and identifying proper protocol for this new mode of
shopping was put onto the backs of company’s marketing teams. An omni channel approach to
selling product, mixed with the growth of interaction with social media and digital marketing
tactics, has rocketed the profit of companies despite the decreased number of shoppers being
within the stores.
Original link
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/09/business/retailers-curbside-pickup.html
MLA Citation
Maheshwari, Sapna, and Michael Corkery. “Customers Still Like to Shop in Person, Even If
They Get Only to the Curb.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 9 Oct. 2020,
www.nytimes.com/2020/10/09/business/retailers-curbside-pickup.html.
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