This is a question that retailers have been asking themselves for years as their customer’s experience is key to keeping them happy and returning again and again. We all know that it costs more to attract a customer than to keep one. It all comes down to how well the retailer’s retail systems are working together. This is especially relevant if a retailer has many different solutions, capturing sales data, marketing data, capturing their details for e-receipts and footfall. If you’ve shopped at a brick-and-mortar store recently, you’ve probably run into a system that, while trying, isn’t all that great at helping you find what you’re looking for. Perhaps you have made a special trip into a store, only to find that the product was only online, doesn’t have your size, or is in fact at the warehouse. I recently went into a local department store to get my favourite concealer, and the assistant couldn’t tell me when it would be back in stock. I had to go online and purchase it from another retailer. These scenarios take place daily, but how do you satisfy this customer or win them back after a bad customer experience?
What is omnichannel?
Omnichannel is unifying the way in which a retailer’s computer systems work together to provide a seamless shopping experience for the customer is a key part of creating a smooth and succinct experience for shoppers.
If the retailer has an omnichannel strategy, they’ll be able to take your online search offline by contacting you directly through their phone or email after seeing your browsing history. They’ll be able to answer any questions you have about their products, and if they can’t answer them, they’ll be able to point you in the right direction. This all allows them to provide a better shopping experience for their customers, which in turn encourages them to come back.
First Steps.
The first step in creating a smooth, hassle-free experience for shoppers is to make sure that their computer systems are working together. This means taking your online searches offline and having the ability to answer any questions you have about the products you’re interested in shopping for. This can be done in a variety of ways, such as by having a knowledgeable sales associate contact you after seeing your browsing history, or by having your online order shipped to your home or office so that you can pick it up without hassle. There are also systems in place to help you return items that don’t fit or aren’t what you were looking for, so being able to utilize those is a big plus too.
One of the biggest challenges retailers face when it comes to their computer systems is making them work together. No matter how well a retailer’s website is designed, it’s virtually impossible for a computer system to know what a customer is going to do next. If a shopper comes into a store, browses the aisles, and doesn’t end up purchasing anything, the computer system doesn’t know anything about that. But if a shopper comes into a store and leaves with an item they searched for online, the computer system has the ability to know that the customer browsed online and then visited the store and purchased a particular item. This can be very powerful in giving the retailer important information to then market to their customers.
What are your competitors doing?
Most retailers today have an omnichannel strategy, which means that their computer systems are working together to provide a seamless shopping experience for shoppers. In an omnichannel world, shoppers can search for products online and then have the option to purchase them in the store if they prefer to buy in person. They can also make phone calls or send emails to the retailer if they have questions about a product or want to place an order. All of these options allow the retailer to provide a better shopping experience for their customers.
If you don’t have this ability your competitor does and is sweeping up your customers with powerful marketing and knowledge!
Your computer systems are working for you if:
Everything is running smoothly. You come into work each day, do your job, and go home. Shopping online is just as hassle-free as shopping in the store. Your online orders arrive at your customers’ doors, or they can pick them up without any problems.
Should you have any questions or queries about how technology can simplify areas of your business please feel free to contact us. We have a retail solution waiting for you.
