Multi-channel, omni-channel, no retailer can go too many hours without hearing these buzz words. As omni-channel starts to take centre stage, most retailers now know what it means and have started, or are planning to start, working towards an omni-channel approach. However, while many retailers are well on their way to providing a true omni-channel experience, few have fully integrated their channels to put their customers—rather than their products—at the centre.
Before omni-channel’s move into mainstream retail, the focus was on multi-channel—using as many possible channels (physical stores, online stores, apps, phones, social media, etc.) to reach your customers. The move to omni-channel takes retail to a new level, placing the customer, rather than a product, at the core. Omni-channel does this by creating a seamless experience for customers, whatever channels they use as they interact with your company to purchase your goods or services. And your customers want to be at the core, so why not put them there?
As CEO Consult points out, the channels that customers use are simply that: channels. Channels are only ways for customers to get to your business, your brand, your culture. And that is what they engage with—not the channels. Customers want the same experience wherever and however they engage with your business, no matter what channels they use.
If your customers and staff can do the following, then your omni-channel approach is likely providing your customers a good, seamless experience.
Customers can:
– Have in-store staff order any unavailable items for home delivery or click and collect.
– Return or exchange in-store any items purchased online.
– Order any product online by click and collect for collection at any store.
– Complete any website purchase in-store.
Staff can:
– Access customers’ website history/preferences to recommend products to them in-store.
CEO Consult recommends that you analyse each of the points above to help you understand your customers’ experiences when interacting with your company. If your business is following a truly integrated, omni-channel strategy, you are making it easy for your customers to have a positive experience with your company, spend their money with you and develop lasting brand loyalty.
Create a successful omni-channel strategy
To ensure a successful omni-channel strategy, you need to look at data, integration and alignment.
Data: Complete, consistent, accessible data is essential for a successful omni-channel strategy. Customer data, product data and order data must all have a single source of truth (SSOT) to provide consistent information that allows your customers to purchase anything, anywhere. The data must also be easily accessible through all channels to support a seamless customer experience.
Integration: System integration is another necessity for a successful omni-channel strategy. Synergy between systems is essential to ensure that committed inventory can be honoured and that the customer can only see available inventory. Both system integration (the communication between two different systems) and system unification (where one system performs multiple functions) should allow customers and staff to interact with the data in a consistent way, such as giving staff the ability to give a customer an in-store refund for an online purchase.
Alignment: Finally, with data and systems in place, the staff also have to align with the omni-channel strategy, otherwise the customer experience will not be seamless. Senior leadership teams need to support staff by ensuring that basics such as staff training, KPIs, targets and incentives all align with the company’s omni-channel strategy.
When your customers win, so do you!
Whether your business is almost there or still has a long way to go before your customers are enjoying a seamless experience, setting up an omni-channel strategy is worth every bit of effort needed.
Allowing your customers to experience seamless, efficient, satisfying interactions and purchases through any—and all—channels will drive their loyalty and your sales.
And while your customers are enjoying their seamless experience, so too is your business, and this means sales. Your website becomes a major driver of in-store sales, while your physical stores stimulate online sales by supporting online purchases and customers who purchased online.
Remember, too, that customers have an increasing expectation for their shopping experiences to be seamless and easy. And why not? It is about the customer, after all, and omni-channel retail puts the customer where they should be—at the centre.
