Buy Online, In-Store Pickup: Multi-Channel Integration for Last-Minute and Snowbound Shopping

A major winter storm is snowing and sleeting on the last minute deal parade of millions of American shoppers who had planned to start their holiday shopping this weekend. Yes, the National Retail Federation estimates that 44 million consumers have been waiting for the best possible deal or the last possible day before they start their 2008 holiday shopping.

The retail industry just can't catch a break this holiday season. According to JPMorgan Chase, a devastating 70% of the stores in the BJ's Wholesale Club chain are in the path of pre-Christmas winter storms. Other major retail chains that weren't dreaming of a white weekend before Christmas are Kohl's, JCPenney, and Macy's. Respectively, 54%, 44%, and 43% of their stores are bracing for both bad weather and bad sales.

When the weather gets rough, desperate last-minute deal hunters in snowbound Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Seattle, and Portland will probably go online. But with the shipping clock ticking loudly, is it too late for e-commerce to come to the rescue?

Snowbound customers who have their hearts set on a BJ's deal this Christmas may have to look elsewhere since it takes a couple of business days to get a BJ's online order onto a shipping truck. And, by the way, if you want to return a BJ's website purchase, you'll have to do it through the mail and pay for the privilege. I bet BJ's Wholesale Club is wishing they had figured out the value of a customert-centric website before now.

Online orders with Kohl's, Macy's and Penney's will get shipped faster, but consumers will have to hope for flawless execution from their chosen pricey overnight shippers. Dollar Tree and Family Dollar are the two retailers that will be completely left out in the winter storm cold this weekend because neither of them have e-commerce websites at all.

The retail competitors that are weather-proofed this weekend are the ones that will allow customers to order online, and pick up their purchases in the store after the clouds and the streets are cleared. Nordstrom is a good option for Macy's shoppers because of their in-store pickup option for online orders. Walmart's "site to store express" shipping is the alternative for Family Dollar and Dollar Tree shoppers.

Sears has options for Kohl's and JCPenney shoppers. If you choose to pick up your Sears.com order at a Sears store, you'll get an e-mail when it's ready, and after you arrive at the store, your online purchase is guaranteed to be in your car within five minutes.

There will be many retailers with legitimate excuses for their low sales performance this weekend. At the same time and under the same weather conditions, the retailers who positioned themselves with in-store pickup options will have legitimately stolen some sales from their competitors. The big question that retailers can answer before the 2009 holiday shopping season rolls around is whether it's better to have legitimate options or legitimate excuses.