BOPIS – buying online and picking up in the store – is quick and easy for customers, offering the best of both worlds: They can browse to their heart’s content on the device of their choice, and then, instead of waiting five to seven days for shipping, they can pick up the purchase the same day.
It has advantages for retailers, too. BOPIS empowers them to offer the best shopping experience, including the potential for impulse buys and up-selling, with a hybrid online-offline model.
But BOPIS also creates challenges. How can brick-and-mortar locations ensure they have enough inventory – and the right inventory – to keep up with demand? Online orders move faster than the postal service, with the potential for hundreds or thousands of queries per second. Stock the wrong quantities and unpopular items can start to linger, eating up shelf space as in-demand items sell out.
Data Enabler VoltDB helps retailers carry that load, with broad, deep, and most importantly, fast data reporting that enables them to adapt to fluctuating inventory needs on the fly. Flipkart, the largest online retailer in India, relies on this Data Enabler to track and manage inventory in real time.
VoltDB’s cloud-friendly, in-memory database also enables companies in the telecommunications, financial services, ad technology, gaming and other sectors to meet data management challenges posed by the fast-evolving Internet of Things.
PYMNTS caught up with Dennis Duckworth, senior director of product marketing, to find out how VoltDB is supporting retailers and others to keep up in the digital world.