Masks have been mandatory inside stores throughout Quebec since mid-July. Shops have reopened, the sidewalk lineups have largely disappeared, and one might expect curbside pickup to fade away.
It has not. Many people still prefer not to go inside. Some are cautious, some have become accustomed to pickup, and some discovered during the spring that collecting a bag at the door takes three minutes instead of twenty. The habit of ordering online and picking up at the door is lasting.
The shops that do this well are not using sophisticated tools. Most have taken the tools they already had and removed every unnecessary step.
Why is curbside pickup still worth offering?
For a small shop, pickup costs less than shipping and is faster than delivery: no box, no label, no driver. The customer comes to the shop, which keeps the relationship local, keeps the storefront visible, and sometimes leads to an additional purchase of a forgotten item.
It also continues to work if restrictions tighten again, which we consider reasonably likely this fall. If your pickup system is already in place and your customers already know how it works, a new closure becomes a difficult week rather than an emergency.
We therefore recommend keeping it in place even though the doors are open.
How short should the order form be?
This is where most businesses overcomplicate the process.
A full online store is not required to take pickup orders. If you have one, that is an advantage: Shopify and Square Online both now include local pickup, which requires only a checkbox and an address. However, many small shops manage well with a Google Form, a Facebook message or the phone. What matters is how much information the customer must provide.
The form needs four items:
- a name
- a phone number (email is acceptable, but a text message reaches people in the parking lot)
- the items requested
- the preferred pickup time
Nothing more is needed: no account creation, no newsletter checkbox ticked by default, and no "how did you hear about us" question. Every additional field is a point at which someone ordering on a phone at home may abandon the order.
Should payment be taken online or at the door?
Online payment is more efficient, because the order is ready and no one needs to handle a card reader through a car window. If your system cannot yet accept online payment, a tap terminal at the door is a workable alternative. Choose one method and state it clearly on the form, so that customers arrive with the right expectation.
Why offer a pickup window rather than an exact time?
An exact time may appear more professional, but it creates avoidable problems.
If you commit to 2:15 and are alone in the shop with three customers inside, you will be late, and the customer waiting in the car will be dissatisfied over a situation that is otherwise fine. A window works better: "ready tomorrow after 1 p.m." or "pickup between 3 and 5." Customers plan around this easily, and it gives the business flexibility.
Then send one short message when the order is ready, preferably by text: "Your order is ready, please park out front and call this number." This message does more for customer perception than a more attractive website.
What about the pickup point itself?
Place a sign where cars actually stop, with the phone number large enough to read from the driver's seat. Indicate where to park, and assign responsibility for bringing orders out. These are small details, but from the customer's perspective, they constitute the entire experience.
It is also August. In three months, it will be dark at five and there will be snow in the parking lot. We recommend planning now for where customers will wait, and confirming that the pickup windows will still be practical in December.
How should a business show on Google that pickup is available?
Customers check Google before visiting a website, and often never reach the website at all. They search for the business name, review the listing, and then call or drive over.
Google My Business now allows businesses to display options such as curbside pickup, no-contact delivery and takeout directly on the listing, in Search and Maps. Google Canada described this in the spring for restaurants that switched to takeout and curbside, and the same attributes appear for many retail categories. Open your listing, locate the section for these attributes, and enable only those that accurately apply.
At the same time:
- confirm that your hours are current, not those from February
- add a post explaining how pickup works, in one or two sentences
- add a photo of the door or pickup spot, so customers recognize it on arrival
This is the least expensive form of local SEO, and it is the part customers actually see.
What should appear on your website and social media?
A single line at the top of the home page is sufficient: "Order by phone or online, pick up at the door," with a link or a phone number. A pop-up or a long letter about the situation is not necessary; customers have read many of those this year.
The same applies on Facebook and Instagram. Pin a post that explains pickup, and refer customers to it when they ask in the comments. The question will still be asked, and that is to be expected.
If your site cannot accept orders at all and phone orders have become a burden, a simple online ordering setup begins to justify its cost. We recommend establishing the fundamentals first: a short form, a clear window, a message when the order is ready, and an accurate Google listing. Most shops we review are missing one of these four elements, and it is most often the Google listing.