Retail titan Walmart recently put a system in place to allow its customers to order products online and pickup and pay for their products at a store location of their choosing.  AdAge’s Jonathan Salem Baskin argues that this is a “novel pathway to building brand loyalty.”

Salem Baskin documents the losses that giants like Best Buy have incurred from being treated as “vast showrooms for merchandise” as a top area in which retailers can regain ground.  He describes, “The Walmart…program turns this phenomenon on its head and raises the potential for stores to do a lot more to reclaim their status as destinations for shoppers.”  He continues on to demonstrate numerous ways in which retailers have the opportunity to bring “meaning and purpose” back to in-store visits.

The retail industry is by no means the only industry in which “online order, in-store payment” is picking up steam.  The restaurant industry, specifically quick-serve chains, have been early adopters in this area.  Famous brands including Chipotle and Jimmy Johns have used apps that allow customers to place an order on any mobile device with the option of paying either via the app or in-store.

@MatthewBick