Toys ‘R’ Us wants buy online and pick up in store to be child’s play

Chain store retailer Toys ‘R’ Us Inc. is rolling out more customer service features, including a better buy online and pick up in store program, in time for the holidays.

Toys ‘R’ Us, No. 29 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, launched a buy online and pick up in store program in advance of the holiday 2010 season. Now Toys ‘R’ Us is expanding the program by letting customers designate others to pick up merchandise. When the shopper completes the transaction online she clicks on a new feature—Family and Friends Pick Up—to designate by whom and at what store the merchandise will be picked up.

“Our e-commerce growth, which has been particularly strong, will continue to benefit from these new capabilities,” says CEO Jerry Storch. “This is the time of year when parents are looking to Toys ’R’ Us to find that must-have item on their child’s wish list and our new omni-channel offerings will help advance customer service and satisfaction during the upcoming holiday season.”

Toys ‘R’ Us, which grew web sales 29.9% in 2010 to $782.0 million, also announced other customer service enhancements such as:

• Toys ’R’ Us and Babies ‘R’ Us customers can check on ToysRUs.com to determine whether a product is in stock at a nearby store.
• Store personnel will now be able to determine availability of an item online and have a web-only item or a product out of stock in the store shipped to the customer’s home at no charge.
• Store employees can now locate out-of-stock items at other nearby locations.
• Online shoppers searching for a specific item that is temporarily out of stock on ToysRUs.com can use a Notify Me When Available option. By signing up for the notification, the customer will receive an e-mail alert as soon as the item becomes available for purchase online.

 “Our omni-channel offerings allow us to leverage the strengths of our store and online businesses,” says Storch.