At-a-Glance
Buy-online-pickup-in-store (BOPIS), curbside pickup, and in-store checkout all spike at the same time during Black Friday week — and a system that handles each channel fine individually can struggle when all three collide. A focused test in October, well before Thanksgiving, catches problems while there’s still time to fix them.
Why This Matters Now
Shopper behavior has genuinely fractured across channels. Mobile now accounts for roughly three-quarters of all online traffic, and social media is driving a meaningfully larger share of ecommerce visits than in prior years — while cart abandonment remains high. Shoppers today move fluidly between browsing on a phone, ordering online, and picking up in person, often within the same purchase.
That’s good for sales if your systems handle it smoothly. It’s a liability if your in-store POS, your online store, and your inventory don’t talk to each other cleanly — because Black Friday week is when every one of those channels gets stress-tested simultaneously.
Where Multi-Channel Systems Actually Break
- Inventory mismatches. A BOPIS order gets confirmed online for an item that just sold out in-store, because the two systems don’t sync in real time.
- Payment friction at pickup. Curbside and BOPIS orders that require a second payment step at pickup (for tips, substitutions, or add-ons) slow down the exact moment customers expect speed.
- Reporting blind spots. Sales data split across separate online and in-store systems makes it hard to see true performance during your busiest week, right when decisions need to happen fast.
- Staffing confusion. Employees fielding curbside pickups, in-store checkout, and BOPIS handoffs at once need a system that’s simple enough to use without a manual mid-rush.
What to Test Before Black Friday
- Place a test BOPIS order yourself and walk through pickup, including any in-person payment step.
- Confirm your inventory counts update in real time across your online store and in-store POS.
- Check that your reporting gives you one combined view of sales across channels, not three separate ones you have to manually add up.
- Walk your staff through the curbside and BOPIS process at least once before the rush, not for the first time during it.
The Bottom Line
Omnichannel retail isn’t a future trend to plan for — it’s already how most shoppers behave. The businesses that come out of Black Friday week smoothly are the ones who tested their systems under realistic conditions in October, not the ones improvising in real time on November 27th.
FAQ
Do I need separate systems for online and in-store sales?
No — a connected POS that handles both, with unified inventory and reporting, is generally more reliable and easier to manage than stitching together separate platforms.
What’s the biggest mistake retailers make with BOPIS during the holidays?
Not testing the actual pickup experience end-to-end beforehand — including any payment step at pickup — until a customer is standing at the counter during a rush.
Can Media Payments Group help connect our online and in-store payment systems?
Yes — we help retailers centralize payment acceptance and reporting across channels so nothing falls through the cracks during peak volume.