BOPIS Success for Tractor Supply Company

Theatro has been cited as a fundamental element of Tractor Supply Company’s connected team, legendary customer service and order fulfillment process. Tractor Supply Company, the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the United States, is well known for being a leading innovator in retail as well as their legendary customer service.  With more than 42,000 Team Members, the Company’s physical stores, combined with its digital capabilities, offer customers the convenience of purchasing products they need anytime, anywhere and any way they choose.

In the Tractor Supply Company’s Q1 2021 earnings call, the retailer’s CEO, Hal Lawton, noted that approximately 75% of their digital sales came from orders placed for Curbside or Buy Online, Pickup in Store (BOPIS) services.

According to Lawton:

“both from the customer order all the way through to customer pickup is just much more efficient than it was this time last year. And that’s really due to all the investments that we’ve made and just the outstanding execution by the team. …We rolled out our first mobile app last year in the summertime. We now have over one million downloads of that app, and it’s becoming a material portion of our digital sales. As the customer does a Buy Online Pickup in Store order in our app, they can note their — the type of vehicle they’re driving, the model, the color and then any special pickup requirements they have…”

“Then, as soon as the order is placed, we have Theatro headsets in our stores for every single team member. That task, within moments after the order is placed (it is sent) down to that store, the team member acknowledges, and well over 90% of our orders are now being picked in less than an hour.”

When the customer is ready to pick up the order, Lawton shared:

“…we have an On My Way functionality. The customer can hit that. As soon as the customer enters our parking lot, the team member gets a notification saying they’re ready for the order to be picked up. And then in their Theatro headset, it will actually tell them, Kurt Barton in a white Ford F-150 is ready for their order. And they’ll walk right out, and they will drop the order in the back of the SUV, as it was indicated. We’re doing well over 90% of that in minutes now.”

85% of shoppers have significantly increased their use of the curbside pickup option over the course of the pandemic, according to a report from Incisiv. However, fulfilling these orders quickly and effectively has proved difficult for many retailers. Missed new order requests and customer arrival notifications along with last-minute customer requests are just a few examples of some of the pain points that have driven many retailers to throw labor at the Curbside challenge. Retailers are now struggling to solve for a growing service offering that is eroding margins and providing a less than desirable customer experience.

In order to serve more customers and deliver next-level customer service, retailers require streamlined communications and a fully connected team that can pivot quickly with changes in demand.

With Theatro, moments after a digital order is placed, that new order is acknowledged by a team member ensuring fulfillment times for order readiness are met. In-ear alerts are delivered to team members in the store letting them know that customer is on their way and at arrival. The team member receives critical customer information and delivers the order to the customer in record time creating a seamless and compelling customer experience.

RIS News further explored how Tractor Supply Company’s technology investments refined the BOPIS experience. Read the full article here.