I am sure that everyone has heard the saying, “The customer is king.” Omni-channel is key to this as it is the process of streamlining all aspects of a retailer’s customer experience including in-store, website, social media, mobile and more.
In retail, omni-channel (or omnichannel, as you’ll sometimes see it written) encompasses an experience that allows customers to become the center of the shopping process. Omni-channel retail strategy creates more thorough, complete insight of customers based on factors like purchase history, extended demographics, individual preferences and shopping behavior. T his results in an integrated, customer-centric experience that is the foundation of success for modern retailers.
Omni-channel marketing has been steadily rising in the retail industry at major department stores, reflecting the fact that we are entering an omni-channel world. And, whether aware of it or not, customers are seeking an omni-channel experience. Namely, customers want to enjoy a seamless experience, regardless of the device or channel they employ when making a retail purchase. Omni-channel describes how today’s consumers are engaging with brands, and, on the other side of the coin, it’s how brands enable their consumers to use channels to engage with them.
With the rise of new digital devices and technologies, Americans have been consistently demonstrating omni-channel shopping habits. In turn, retailers need to respond by reaching shoppers through multiple channels, providing consumers with consistent, coherent access to their brand. Major retailers like Macy’s and Bloomingdales are shifting to integrate omni-channel by using data-driven tactics to ensure customers’ satisfaction. This evolution to their central marketing strategy is a hybrid of in-store and online buying, and will prove to support growth in both the physical and digital stores.
Crate & Barrel is a company that implemented omni-channel last year and has seen marked improvement in their customers’ satisfaction. The Crate & Barrel app saves customers’ shopping cart items so that they can be accessed across multiple devices and browsers, enabling customers to pick up and continue their shopping where they left off. Cosmetics retailer Sephora is another company utilizing a creative omni-channel strategy for their consumers. Sephora’s “My Beauty Bag” program allows customers to manage specified products and their purchase history on any device. Macy’s is following its M.O.M. strategy to embrace omni-channel in 2015: My Macy’s localization, Omni-channel integration and Magic Selling customer engagement.
A significant factor in omni-channel is how retailers ship purchased items to customers. A familiar step in the online check-out process is when consumers enter their personal information, including the shipping address to where their item needs to be delivered. With omni-channel, regardless of which platform or device the purchase was made, the retailer will know exactly where to send an item and the timeframe it must be delivered in, ranging from expedited delivery to standard shipping. Customers have clear expectations at the point of check-out for when and where their purchased item will be delivered.
This is where Wrap & Send can help retailers succeed in their omni-channel goals. We pack customer sends out of stores and can assist in packing merchandise to move from one store to another or even back to the vendor. If one store doesn’t have the size or color of an item that a customer wants, we help package and process that delivery so it can be sent from another store that has what the customer is looking for in stock. Our services provide consistent package branding for a store’s products, and we ensure that packages arrive at their destinations with maximum efficiency.
More retailers are going above and beyond to implement broad changes to become omni-channel, operating with unified marketing and merchandising to boost their functionality and agility based on consumer shopping habits. Wrap & Send can play a vital role in an omni-channel strategy by helping retailers meet the needs of their customers and deliver their packages on time and in excellent condition. Customer satisfaction is paramount to our business, and we know that retailers with omni-channel esteem their customers just as much.
