Evan Schuman's StorefrontBacktalk

Okay. Let’s say you tackle, and solve, your merged-channel issues (as a few already have). The next challenge is how to package the orders for pickup. Unlike curb-side pick up at a restaurant, which is fairly easy to implement (have the server walk food to the car instead of a table), retail orders might be larger (both in number of items and size of packages) and require trips to both the back-room and several parts of the store.

First, retailers can take a page out of restaurant online/mobile ordering solutions that enable the location to specify the minimum amount of time required before picking up the solution. This can be based upon the items purchased (a refrigerator might take a long time to get ready), the time of day (how many people on staff to fulfill the order) and the already existing queue (if there are already five orders in queue, push this one out a bit). And just like some restaurants have “drive-thru only” hours late at night, I think it would be feasible for retailers to specify drive-thru times for availability.

Second, the good news is that when it comes to managing the resources used to package these orders for drive-thru pickup, retailers likely already have something pretty close to what is needed in their warehouses. This would be very similar to picking and packing an E-Commerce order, using the retail outlet locations instead of warehouse storage areas and store associates instead of forklift drivers. It wouldn’t be a long walk to leverage the same technology to optimize how to deploy labor in this model.

Many retailers are also using task management software to manage large-scale deployments throughout the retail environment. These tools could be easily configured to manage the deployment of labor for pick/pack tasks.

Finally, there would obviously be structural issues with the drive-thru scenario itself. Depending on the type of retailer, it may make sense to have a pass-thru section similar to the “brew-thru” liquor stores or a park-and-wait option like many Sears locations have today. You could even go as far as to ask customers what type of car they have, so you could look up the storage space of that vehicle to determine the best way to prepack the items for pick up. Or how about offering a “no wait” guarantee, where you take reservations for pick-up times that the “on-demand” folks don’t have access to?

Although the drive-thru model might not be a fit for every concept (just like in the restaurant space), there is something to be said for using technology to turn those retail locations back into an advantage when it comes to the shopping experience.

What do you think? If you disagree (or even, heaven forbid, agree), please comment below or send me a private message. Or check out the Twitter discussion on @todd_michaud.