US eCommerce Up 49 Pct; Curbside Pickup Soars 208 Pct Since April 1

As the coronavirus shows no signs of abating, customers are opting to make their purchases without setting foot in stores, CNBC reported.

Dozens of retailers, from Dick’s Sporting Goods to Walmart, have added contactless shopping services, and it’s caught on.

The number of orders placed online and picked up at stores surged 208 percent between April 1 and April 20 compared to a year ago, according to Adobe Analytics, CNBC reported.

In addition, the survey found eCommerce in the U.S. increased 49 percent from March 12 to April 11, compared to March 1 to March 11 after a review of internet transactions from 80 of the top 100 internet retailers.

The latest data on customer behavior comes as the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) and National Retail Federation released a Blueprint for Shopping Safe.

The six-page document outlines a phased-in approach to reopening stores. The plan urges governors to issue statewide protocols for retailers to adopt as they reopen stores and keep employees and customers safe.

It outlines three phases to resume business as usual. The first phase plans for eCommerce to rise with curbside pickup and home delivery. The next phase allows stores to reopen to the public with social distancing and limited capacity, similar to the way supermarkets are operating now. The third phase lifts all remaining restrictions, the two groups said.

Shoppers will be hesitant to return to stores when officials signal it’s safe to do so, since they’ve adjusted to being home for so long, Naveen Jaggi, president of commercial real estate services firm JLL’s Retail Advisory team, told CNBC Monday (April 27) during a Facebook Live event.

Target stores, which offer groceries, have remained open. The company has encouraged customers to use the buy online and pick up at store option.

Even so-called nonessential retailers, including Best Buy; Bed, Bath & Beyond; and Kohl’s, offer the pickup option at certain locations.

Last week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott allowed some retailers to begin offering curbside pickup again, calling the model “retail to go,” CNBC reported.

Galleria Dallas, the Dallas shopping mall, has been reopened to retail employees only. Customers can place an order online and make an appointment for pickup. Staff will place items in the trunk or the backseat of a vehicle. Shoppers must stay in their cars.

“I think our retail stores are going to become fulfillment centers,” Angie Freed, Galleria Dallas’s general manager, told the network.“Retailers are trying to figure it out. Some of them are more advanced, more savvy and have better systems in place to handle it. Others are scrambling.”