The Pickup Revolution: How a Shift in Shopper Expectations is Reshaping Retail

By Zacharia Curtis, Senior Product Designer at HubBox

In a world where customer expectations are endlessly evolving, local pickup has emerged as a key player in transforming the delivery experience – bridging the gap between online convenience and real-world access. 

Pickup has rapidly become a flexible alternative to the binary choice between home delivery and in-store shopping, one that meets the needs of today’s shoppers and brings a range of benefits.

Our recent research – which included surveys, preference testing and moderated UX tests involving hundreds of shoppers across US, UK & Europe – has proven it’s not just about offering another delivery method. Shoppers want a seamless, cost-effective experience that gives them value for money, while respecting their time and need for flexibility.

With 76% of shoppers prioritising free delivery, speed and savings, pickup is no longer just an alternative for shoppers – it’s a strategic choice. 

In this blog, I’ll explain the findings from our research and reveal what’s driving the pickup revolution – giving retailers and carriers the insights they need to stay ahead of the curve. 

1. Free delivery & pricing 

For today’s online shoppers, it’s become increasingly clear that shipping costs are a deal breaker.

With an overwhelming 75% of shoppers ranking free delivery as a top three priority in driving their decision of delivery method selection, and 40% considering it an essential delivery priority, the numbers speak for themselves.

Key consumer insights:

• • Shoppers fundamentally reject paying for shipping
• • Many shoppers will strategically increase cart value to qualify for free shipping
• • Pickup becomes more attractive when shipping is complementary

With many retailers offering free shipping, delivery costs are perceived by many consumers as an unnecessary ‘tax’ on purchases.

As one shopper told us: “Nobody loves to pay for extra delivery costs”. 

This sentiment is widespread and it drives behaviour – shoppers will actively modify their online baskets, adding more items to cart to avoid shipping fees. 

Retailers and carriers can strategically respond by:

• • Offering free delivery thresholds
• • Position local pickup as a zero-cost or low-cost alternative
• • Highlight monetary savings with pickup points
  

At HubBox, our pickup at checkout software includes expert optimization to boost adoption. Working with Sandbanks, for example, we saw a jump in adoption from 13.7% to 18.3% after making some research-led tweaks to pricing messaging.

2. Delivery speed

In a world where next day delivery and immediate gratification has become the norm, speed matters.

This was evident throughout our research, with 70% of shoppers ranking delivery timing in their top three priorities for delivery method selection. Customers don’t just want products, they want them quickly and predictably.

Our research revealed that customers want:

• • Transparency on delivery timelines
• • Minimal waiting periods
• • Flexible & convenient speed options

“When I buy something online, I’m doing it for the convenience” one shopper noted. This accurately captures the sentiment of modern delivery preference: swift, easy & accessible.

However, some nuance is required as we’ve learned that not all customers demand next-day delivery; with factors such as free delivery offsetting longer waiting times, and some shoppers opting for slower, but more cost-effective options.

The key things for retailers to consider are:

• • Providing clear estimated delivery times
• • Offering multiple speed options
• • Highlighting convenience alongside speed

In the graph above, we see the impact on usage rates when one of our apparel retailers added, and then later omitted key value propositions related to pickup. Usage rates exploded from 0.7% to over 12%, and back again, displaying the power of clear value propositions in driving ROI.

3. Discounts 

Customers have learned that being savvy with spending pays off in the long term, and this reflects directly in our research.

50% of shoppers ranked discounts and saving strategies as a top three priority in their selection experience.

For shoppers:

• • Immediate savings are the most attractive
• • Percentage & dollar discounts motivate delivery selection
• • Future savings (like coupons) also entice customers

“Everybody loves a discount,” remarked one shopper, with another stating: “Price is important, particularly when I can get any % off the order”.

However, there is a critical nuance around smaller order values seeing less enthusiasm for percentage discounts, indicating the need for tailored discounting strategies.

Retailers that want to tap into the desire for discounts should consider:

• • Offering clear, upfront savings
• • Providing percentage and dollar discounts
• • Creating compelling coupon strategies

Retailers using HubBox get expert support to put these strategies in place based on their unique needs, once our pickup at checkout software is installed. 

4. Convenience, flexibility & location 

Today’s shoppers expect convenience at every stage of their e-commerce experience. 

This ties directly into our learnings in location and ease of access, which define a core pillar of the pickup experience –  reflected in the 63% of shoppers who prioritize convenience when choosing a delivery method. 

Key consumer insights:

• • Proximity to pickup points matters
• • Speed of pickup process is key
• • Accessibility of location is important

One shopper stated: “It does have to be close enough for me to bother” when rationalising her decision between delivery methods. Another highlighted the appeal of a location being “only 5 minutes away”.

Strategically, we also must consider the variation amongst demographics, with rural users especially valuing specific and tailored location details. Broad statements like ‘thousands of pickup locations’ mean little without context of their individual accessibility.

The key things to consider for retailers and carriers are:

• • Communicating precise distances of pickup locations
• • Educating on opening times and availability
• • Creating a quick “in-and-out” pickup experience
• • Maximising transparency and visibility of pickup locations

Through our data analytics at HubBox, we’ve seen that when our experts make improvements for retailers linked to convenience and flexibility it can result in more than a 91% success rate.

Delivering on shopper demand: your next steps 

Our research shows that the future of delivery isn’t about moving packages—it’s about keeping up with always-moving customer expectations.

Free delivery, fast timelines, clear savings and visible pickup locations aren’t just nice-to-haves now – they’re non-negotiables.

By unlocking these drivers, retailers and carriers can go beyond logistics and create value-led, repeatable shopping experiences that keep customers coming back.

At HubBox, we don’t just provide the software that makes it easy for retailers to offer pickup at checkout – we’ve created a targeted, bespoke toolkit to ensure every setup is optimized for maximum adoption and long-term success.