Expanding Ways to Pick Up, Return Online Orders

Big-box retailers such as Walmart and Home Depot are using store locations for customers to pick up and return online orders, and e-commerce businesses are turning to brick-and-mortar sites to do the same.

Both traditional and online retailers are opening physical locations, ranging in size from self-serve kiosks to retail outlets, for online order pickup.

For example, Walmart is piloting Walmart Pickup with Fuel, a concept that uses new, small store locations to serve as online order pickup sites for groceries.

“Retailers are converting empty mall space into makeshift distribution centers for package pickup and return of goods bought online,” The Wall Street Journal reports.

Amazon is expanding its use of lockers in malls and brick-and-mortar stores for that purpose.

“More retail centers … are housing Amazon Lockers, which allow Amazon’s online customers to pick up and return packages at their convenience,” The Wall Street Journal article says.

Another company, Happy Returns, offers a “return bar” in several malls for customers to return products to multiple e-commerce businesses, the article says.