Curbside Pickup Vs In-Store Pickup: Which Should Your Store Offer?

A pickup option where customers collect online orders without entering the store.

Curbside Pickup A pickup option where customers collect online orders without entering the store. It sits alongside other fulfillment options — notably in-store pickup — and the choice between them affects labor allocation, customer experience, store layout, and inventory controls.

Comparing curbside and in-store pickup requires looking at customer needs, operational capacity, and cost. In-store pickup typically has customers enter the store to collect orders from a designated counter or locker; curbside keeps customers outside and delivers to their vehicle. Both reduce shipping costs and speed delivery relative to home delivery, but they produce different trade-offs in speed, labor, security, and store traffic.

Key Differences That Affect Choice

Customer Convenience: Curbside often rates higher for customers who value minimal effort and contact. In-store pickup benefits customers who want to inspect items, add impulse purchases, or need immediate exchanges.

Labor And Workflow: In-store pickup centralizes orders at a counter or locker and can be handled by front-of-house staff. Curbside requires runners and staged staging zones and a system for confirming vehicle arrival. Curbside typically requires more short-duration handling events per order (loading into cars), increasing touchpoints.

Space Requirements: Curbside needs designated parking or loading areas near store entrances. In-store pickup needs counters, secure lockers, or shelf space inside the store.

• Speed: Curbside can be faster for customers once the order is ready because it removes queuing inside the store.
• Upsell Opportunity: In-store pickup offers more potential for incremental sales from customers who enter and browse.

When To Prioritize Curbside Pickup

Choose curbside when your customer base prefers convenience and safety, when parking infrastructure exists, and when orders are typically non-perishable or packaged for easy transfer. It’s especially effective for grocery, pharmacy, and large/bulky-item retailers where carrying purchases into a car is a pain point.

When In-Store Pickup Is Better

In-store pickup is preferable if your product mix requires inspection (apparel, jewelry), if you want in-store engagement to drive additional sales, or if parking constraints make curbside impractical. Lockers add a contactless in-store alternative that reduces labor while keeping customers inside the building.

Operational Metrics To Compare

Order Cycle Time: Measure time from order confirmation to pickup completion. Curbside often shortens customer time on site; in-store pickup can shorten total order-to-pick time if staff can hand orders at the counter quickly.

Labor Cost Per Order: Track minutes per order for picking and handoff. Curbside may increase minutes due to car-loading but can reduce customer service handling indoors.

Customer Satisfaction: Use NPS or CSAT surveys focusing on convenience, wait time, and accuracy. Segment responses by pickup channel to spot preference patterns.

• Label: Pick Accuracy: Higher when inventory systems are accurate and when staff are trained on digital order protocols.
• Label: Return Rates: Monitor returns by channel; physical inspections at pickup may lower return rates compared to curbside.

Hybrid Approaches To Consider

Many retailers operate both and offer customers a choice at checkout. This requires clear messaging and backend rules to prevent double-booking stock. Another hybrid is in-store lockers accessed with a code — combines low labor with the ability to keep customers in a controlled environment when parking is limited.

Practical Decision Framework

Assess parking and site layout, order profile (size, temperature sensitivity, inspection needs), customer demographics (preference for convenience vs browsing), and labor cost structure. Run a pilot in a few stores: measure pickup time, labor minutes, customer satisfaction, and incremental sales to decide whether to scale curbside, in-store pickup, or both.

Example Scenario

A regional grocery chain added curbside lanes to 30 high-traffic stores and kept in-store pickup at lower-volume locations. They saw a 20% lift in online conversion at curbside locations and reduced in-store congestion during peak hours. Labor per order rose slightly due to curbside loading, but overall customer satisfaction and repeat purchase frequency increased.

In short, the Curbside Pickup option is a distinct fulfillment channel with unique advantages for speed and contactless convenience. Compare it against in-store pickup using site layout, product mix, labor metrics, and customer preferences to choose the optimal mix for your stores.