Curbside Pickup
Customers collect online orders from a designated pickup point outside the store.
Definition
Curbside pickup allows consumers to receive their online orders without entering the store, improving convenience and safety.
Overview of Curbside Pickup
Curbside pickup is a fulfillment model in which a customer places an order online or via a mobile app, a store associate or warehouse worker picks and packs the order, and the customer retrieves their order by driving to a designated pickup area — typically a reserved parking zone outside the retail location — without entering the store. The customer notifies the retailer upon arrival (via app check-in, text, or parking stall sensors), and an associate brings the prepared order directly to the vehicle. The model eliminates in-store browsing time, customer crowding, and checkout queues while allowing retailers to fulfill orders from existing store inventory without the cost of last-mile home delivery. Curbside pickup expanded rapidly during the 2020 pandemic period as retailers needed to serve customers while minimizing in-store capacity. Major retailers — Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, grocery chains — scaled curbside into permanent, high-volume fulfillment channels. The operational requirements are distinct from traditional in-store fulfillment: dedicated pick paths or staging areas, batch picking software to efficiently fulfill multiple simultaneous orders, temperature-controlled staging for grocery, and real-time arrival notification systems to minimize customer wait time to under 3 minutes. Customer satisfaction for curbside is heavily correlated with wait time accuracy — a promised 2-minute arrival that takes 12 minutes converts a satisfied customer into a frustrated one. On WareMatch, the relevance of curbside pickup extends to 3PLs and warehouse operators managing omnichannel fulfillment for retail clients. A warehouse or dark store operating as a curbside node must be designed with the operational flows required: pick staging areas organized by pickup slot rather than by traditional outbound shipping lane, parking lot or drive-through configuration for customer vehicles, and staffing models that support rapid retrieval during peak pickup windows. Warehouse operators on WareMatch offering value-added fulfillment services for retail clients should understand whether curbside is part of the client's channel mix and whether their facility design supports it.
Role
Customers collect online orders from a designated pickup point outside the store.
Focus
Curbside pickup is a fulfillment model in which a customer places an order online or via a mobile app, a store associate or warehouse worker picks and packs the order, and the customer retrieves their order by driving to a designated pickup area — typically a reserved parking zone outside the retail location — without entering the store. The customer notifies the retailer upon arrival (via app check-in, text, or parking stall sensors), and an associate brings the prepared order directly to the vehicle. The model eliminates in-store browsing time, customer crowding, and checkout queues while allowing retailers to fulfill orders from existing store inventory without the cost of last-mile home delivery. Curbside pickup expanded rapidly during the 2020 pandemic period as retailers needed to serve customers while minimizing in-store capacity. Major retailers — Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, grocery chains — scaled curbside into permanent, high-volume fulfillment channels. The operational requirements are distinct from traditional in-store fulfillment: dedicated pick paths or staging areas, batch picking software to efficiently fulfill multiple simultaneous orders, temperature-controlled staging for grocery, and real-time arrival notification systems to minimize customer wait time to under 3 minutes. Customer satisfaction for curbside is heavily correlated with wait time accuracy — a promised 2-minute arrival that takes 12 minutes converts a satisfied customer into a frustrated one. On WareMatch, the relevance of curbside pickup extends to 3PLs and warehouse operators managing omnichannel fulfillment for retail clients. A warehouse or dark store operating as a curbside node must be designed with the operational flows required: pick staging areas organized by pickup slot rather than by traditional outbound shipping lane, parking lot or drive-through configuration for customer vehicles, and staffing models that support rapid retrieval during peak pickup windows. Warehouse operators on WareMatch offering value-added fulfillment services for retail clients should understand whether curbside is part of the client's channel mix and whether their facility design supports it.
Example
See the definition above for context.
Benefits
- Eliminates last-mile delivery cost while providing the convenience of not requiring in-store pickup
- Reduces order-to-customer time to same-day or sub-2-hour for orders placed before cutoff
- Decreases store congestion and checkout queue times during peak periods
- Improves inventory accuracy — store inventory is reserved for curbside orders at placement, preventing sold-out situations
- Generates strong customer loyalty when execution (preparation accuracy, wait time) is consistent
- Provides a lower-cost fulfillment alternative to home delivery for customers within reasonable driving distance
FAQs
Q: What are the key operational differences between curbside pickup and in-store BOPIS (buy online, pick up in store)?
A: In-store BOPIS sends the customer into the store to pick up their order from a designated counter or locker — they may browse and add items during the pickup visit. Curbside pickup keeps the customer in their vehicle — there is no browsing, no in-store traffic, and typically a shorter total visit time. From an operations standpoint, both require in-store picking and staging, but curbside adds the real-time arrival notification system and exterior staging infrastructure.
Q: What is a reasonable customer wait time target for curbside pickup?
A: Industry data consistently shows that customer satisfaction drops significantly when wait time exceeds 3–5 minutes after check-in. Leading retailers target under 2 minutes from customer arrival notification to vehicle delivery. This requires pre-staged orders in a temperature-appropriate holding area at the time of arrival notification — not orders being picked when the customer checks in. Batch picking and pre-staging completed orders well ahead of pickup windows are the operational prerequisites for meeting this standard.
Q: How should a 3PL or dark store configure its facility to support curbside operations?
A: Designate numbered parking stalls visible from the facility's staging area. Install a real-time arrival notification system (customer app integration or dedicated parking stall sensors). Create a temperature-zoned staging area (ambient, chilled, frozen) near the curbside exit door. Staff a dedicated curbside team during peak hours rather than pulling associates from other tasks. Configure the WMS to flag orders as "staged" and trigger customer notification when ready.
Q: Can curbside pickup support same-day fulfillment for eCommerce orders from a warehouse?
A: Yes, when the warehouse is positioned within driving distance of a significant customer base — a common model for dark stores and micro-fulfillment centers. Orders placed before a mid-day cutoff are picked and staged for afternoon/evening pickup; orders placed during the day are offered a next-day window. The key constraint is inventory positioning — the fulfillment node must carry sufficient local inventory to support same-day promise rates without excessive safety stock cost.