Tips for Developing an Omnichannel Retail Strategy

Omnichannel Retail strategy stores, online channels, and social media can have a significant impact on customers’ behavior.

 

Today’s customers are not just tech-savvy but also multi-channel buyers. A large portion of transactions is fulfilled through physical stores.

 

The new generation of empowered consumers also wants high-quality, personalized service.

 

Seamless and integrated experience across every channel.

 

Retailers today must look beyond the physical store or an online store to offer consistent and seamless experiences across all channels. Provide customers with the most memorable customer experiences at the right time and location.

 

In this blog, we go into detail about the reasons why omnichannel retail is becoming a reality.

 

The ways that retailers (both physical and online) can make use of its diverse techniques and technologies to ensure the best Omnichannel Retail Strategy experience.

The reasons why retailers should adopt Omnichannel Retail strategy?

1. Consumers like multi-channel experiences

Motivated by smartphones and a demand economy, shoppers nowadays are looking for the ‘always-on’ shopping experience.

 

These experiences shouldn’t just be readily accessible, they should provide the best product selections as well as flexible fulfillment options accessible across every channel.

 

While the internet provided the door to numerous possibilities for online shopping and a large portion of sales continue to be conducted physically in stores.

 

While there are many differences in the behavior of customers The current trend is that consumers are more educated and use the internet even when they are considering and making purchases at physical shops.

 

Hence, Physical stores need to find ways to interact with customers through websites.

2. The influence of social Media

Social media is regarded as one of the biggest influences in today’s retail industry (both physical and online).

 

Consumers today do not just search for many shopping channels multiple channels to shop, but they also appreciate reviews of products and feedback from different social networks.

 

For example, when shoppers browse through the Apple Store, They will not buy products with only one star.

 

Social media review sites have an immense impact on brand loyalty, as well as negative or poor reviews can have long-lasting negative consequences for retailers.

 

This could have long-lasting negative effects on. An Omnichannel Retail Strategy that is well-planned will seamlessly combine commerce and social media In order to ensure retail success.

3. Strong relationship between physical and digital

A number of stores have noted that there is a significant connection between offline and physical stores.

 

For instance, during a recent conference, Macy’s observed that when they shut down a physical store and their online presence from that region also declines.

 

This is due partly to the customers’ shopping behavior. Nowadays, consumers want to be able to seamlessly switch between stores that are physical and online.

 

For instance, a buyer may purchase a product on the internet,   But they must return the product to the store in the first place, or vice versa.

 

Therefore, retailers may miss some lucrative customer segments should they not implement an Omnichannel Retail strategy approach.

How do you create a multichannel strategy?

With the rise of Omnichannel Retail strategy business models, businesses and brands need to review their strategies.

 

To keep up with the demands of modern-day consumers and provide them with the most appealing seamless, consistent, and relevant experience in all channels.

1. Track customer purchase habits

Customer behavior and journeys within Omnichannel Retail are more complicated.

 

With a variety of influences that can affect purchases, they are made at any time of the day or night, directly in physical stores, or through any time of the day or night, either at.

 

It is essential for businesses to create effective multichannel strategies that consider the various customer journeys and influences across all channels.

 

Knowing the customer’s decision-making process is essential to develop the basis for an Omnichannel Retail Strategy.

 

The most important considerations to track customer buying habits in the Omnichannel Retail Strategy space are:

1. Where is the purchase made? The store, while commuting or at home, etc
2. What time are the purchases made? When are they made? the night, etc
3. What kinds of items are most popularly purchased – kitchen decor/women’s wear/groceries, etc?
4. What are the most frequent purchases? – every day/once a week/once a quarter etc
5. How do purchases are made? – smartphone/tablet/direct cash payment at the store etc

Inquiring into these important issues will allow retailers to clearly outline customer journeys to be able to fully comprehend their preferences and demands and offer an experience that is relevant in the most appropriate way at the right time.

 

To deliver these expectations, physical stores can make use of technologies like iBeacon technologies, such as iBeacon, providing the perfect way to provide localized, personalized, and contextual experiences to clients on their smartphones in stores as they collect crucial customer information.

2. Boost customer engagement

Once they have a better understanding of customer behavior (from the questions from the earlier section) Retailers should sketch out detailed maps of customer routes to ensure that they are in the right order to guide customers in creating triggers that are relevant to set up relevant triggers across all channels.

 

The purpose of these triggers should be to boost the engagement of customers and encourage purchases. Here are a few examples of customer triggers that could be employed are:

1. Event 

Organize events and provide sales.

 

Sales and events have excellent customer recall and are a great way to keep customers motivated to buy.

 

It also helps to increase sales as a way to achieve a shopping goal.

2. Send out proximity notifications

Retailers can send highly customized messages based on the customers’ whereabouts within the store.

 

The notifications can be extremely effective to be highly relevant and will result in higher conversion rates.

3. Send out reminders about discounts or offers

Notes on a specific discount or the number of loyalty points accumulated can serve as a significant trigger to purchasing items.

4. Start a conversation 

Brands and retailers can have a conversation through social media platforms to enhance the value of their brands.

 

The use of triggers in the right way can assist brands not only to increase customer engagement but also to build brand value.

 

Alongside analyzing the behavior of customers and setting suitable triggers, retailers as well as brands should make use of new and innovative technologies.

 

VR (virtual reality) and iBeacon and many others create a bridge between the virtual and physical worlds and provide an uninterrupted and consistent experience.

 

We’ve discussed some of the most effective strategies to create an omnichannel experience in the sections below.

What physical store experiences can help create multichannel experiences with Omnichannel Retail Strategy?

1. Create memorable store experiences

Physical stores can assist in providing Omnichannel Retail Strategy experiences that are satisfying and also serve as fulfillment centers for stores that are online counterparts.

 

Services like ‘click and Collect’ (buy online pick up in-store) and in-store returns on online orders, allows customers to access their digital purchases at the status of their purchase inventory and run promotions

 

The targeted that is based on online behavior are just a few of the ways to offer the best value to both online and in-store customers.

 

To provide smooth and seamless experiences, physical stores be required to be able to make investments in connecting technology.

 

For instance, retail stores can You can easily provide ‘click and Collect facility for shoppers who shop online with beacons.

 

We’ve talked about how retailers can use beacons to offer this The solution was discussed in our earlier blog posts.

 

In an interesting case of “click and collect,” the supermarket chain, Woolworths has put up beacons in its stores to cut down on time and energy wasted by customers waiting in line to pick up their online orders.

 

In this instance, beacons offer an easy way to communicate interaction between staff members and customers in order to increase the efficiency of the shopping experience.

2. Virtual viewpoints of the present

Technologies such as AR (augmented real-time reality) as well VR (virtual reality) can be used by stores to provide enhanced, virtual experiences that are able to provide customers with environments that are not possible to achieve by retail stores.

 

Virtual technologies permit retailers to offer very exciting virtual experiences, such as an endless aisle virtualized which displays a broad selection of items (that of products (that aren’t available in the shop) of products, as well as a virtual mirror that lets customers test on clothing or items.

 

A unique application of VR can be observed in the home improvement shop, Lowe’s. Utilizing the Oculus Rift VR headset, customers are able to Customize their room’s dimensions, equipment, colors, and accessories in the store’s simulation space, called Holoroom

3. Provide valuable services

Today’s customers are well-informed and want the best experience possible on every platform.

 

Physical stores can improve the quality of customer service they provide by Offering valuable information and services.

 

For instance, by using an audio calling platform, or two-way communications technologies such as Facetime or Skype.

 

Retailers can use kiosks to let customers communicate with experts from the product on kiosks or terminals in stores.

4. Integrate social media into the experience in stores

Experiences in stores can also be enhanced by integrating social networks.

 

Retailers may be equipped with walls or screens that display live updates from social media platform feeds or even commentary.

 

It could also include tweets, videos, and images in order to boost customer engagement.

 

The dressing rooms could have display areas that let Customers can get live product reviews on social media sites on products they are planning to purchase.

 

These integrations can also assist store personnel to keep track of social media and react in real-time.

5. Create a loyalty program that is unified

A loyalty program that connects customer journeys on both physical and online platforms is an excellent method to boost and integrate the loyalty of your customers, and engagement.

 

Offering customers rewards for their participation on the internet could prove to be an effective method to increase the number of customers who are online.

 

A fascinating example of this is the well-known clothing retailer, Marks & Spencer.

 

Its loyalty program is geared toward customers, Sparks offers customers rewards for engaging with the brand either online or in-store.

 

When customers have collected their “Sparks” you can redeem them for a diverse assortment of rewards.

 

An effective way to set up an Omnichannel loyalty program is by using iBeacon technology.

 

Beacons are a great way to connect seamlessly Customer journeys across all channels and offer local and personalized customer experiences that are based on loyalty.

 

Retailers can also collect an abundance of information about customer behavior and preferences with a beacon to monitor customer behavior and preferences.

 

One of the most critical indicators of loyalty that could be tracked with beacons include frequency of visits and repeat visits, customers, retention visitors, cross-store, and retention visits.

6. Notify customers in-store Based on your online browsing history

The information and insights that are gathered from the customer’s journeys through the world of online (website and mobile) are able to be leveraged to provide personalized and relevant Notifications when customers are in the store.

 

An excellent example is the luxury retail chain Barneys New York.

 

Barneys New York utilizes beacons to transmit Individualized products and notifications to customers with personalized messages and product recommendations.

 

The notifications are based on the products that are in the customer’s mobile shopping bag, wish lists, and customer browsing patterns in the store’s online publication,

The Window How can online stores create an Omnichannel Retail experience

1. Create physical areas of experience

Online-only shops will miss most of customers even if they don’t exist in the real world.

 

Even at present, customers are enticed by Touch and feel are most retail sales conducted within physical shops.

 

One way to get around this issue is to not actually open the doors of a physical store to use (and change the business processes) is to set up physical experiences zones.

 

Experience zones can be a fantastic way for customers to try products and increase confidence prior to and build confidence before.

 

This method also helps protect online merchants from the stress of returns due to mismatches between the product’s expectations.

 

The Experience zone allows customers to look through Abof’s collection, browse the site online and receive style advice.

 

This kind of initiative can be a positive move in the direction of building trust and to build brand loyalty for businesses that operate online.

2. Facilitate customer interaction with chat rooms on the internet

Online stores must strive to make customer experiences as individual as the in-store experience.

 

One way to do this is to integrate Live chat systems that are interactive and let customers connect with experts in the field.

 

The sales executives directly through the web or mobile app integrating Such platforms are an excellent tool to analyze customer behavior and address the customer’s issues and boosting sales

 

A recent example shows that the most well-known toy store, Toys “R” Us integrated an online chat application into their online store,

 

In order to permit online shoppers to Connect with the local store to give customers the customer with a more customized experience.

 

Conclusion

These solutions also enable retailers to use the in-store experience associates’ strengths in selling and service skills in all the channels.

 

The revolution in Omnichannel Retail Strategy is just beginning to get underway and retailers are recognizing that they cannot be in silos and that the convergence of Digital and physical commerce will soon be the norm in retail.

 

To keep in the forefront retailers will need to utilize the latest technologies and adjust processes to create a powerful and memorable experience for customers.

 

If you’re thinking of launching an experiment with beacons, consider looking at Brisk Logic It contains everything you require to start By using Brisk Logic you can create your own campaign, with no developer’s assistance!