A long-awaited vacation trip to your dream destination. Front row seats at a concert that fulfil a once-in-a-lifetime dream to see your #1 band. These are experiences that stay with us and we feel like our money and time has been well spent.
Retail experiences can deliver the same wow factor. It could be going online and finding out that the boots you’ve been eyeing for months were just discounted and now fit into your budget. Perhaps you’re in a store and your salesperson notices that based on the data in your profile, a new blazer that just arrived in stock is the perfect match for the pants you own from this same collection. These experiences can make buyers lives easier- further endearing them to a brand and increase sales.
According to a survey by American Express, three in four (74%) shoppers said they had spent more with a company because the business provided them with a solid history of positive customer service. What’s important to consider, however, is that what buyers consider a positive engagement with a company or brand is as unique as the customers themselves. “One size fits all” is not applicable when it comes to interacting with shoppers. They’re online, on the bus, in stores and on the move. They want you to be by their side 24/7, know their name, their last order, and for you to be able to anticipate their next purchase.
Retail Omnichannel to the Rescue
This is where retail omnichannel comes into play. The ability to personalize the buyer’s journey and meet the customer where they are at is vital for a merchant to remain competitive and increase consumer satisfaction. The goal of retail omnichannel is to create a seamless and frictionless experience for customers. Whether it’s desktop or mobile, or using technology with beacons to track shopper’s behavior– there are more touchpoints than ever to engage with consumers, encourage purchases, make recommendations and sell to willing buyers. Retail omnichannel is designed to unify the shopping experience – gathering, storing and leveraging consumer data to leverage it across all marketing, sales and service initiatives taken within a company.
When reflecting on the topic of retail omnichannel, it’s important to consider that there are four main requirements that buyers have – Know Me, Show Me that you Know Me, Allow Me and Value Me. These requirements need to be reflected directly in a company’s operations with marketing, sales and service personnel being able to respond at each stage of the customer’s purchase journey.
Know Me
Connecting the physical and digital experience is now possible for retailers who recognize the potential that awaits them. To do this, it’s important to consider the buyer’s journey. The days of going to the mall and aimlessly wandering from store to store until a shopper finds the perfect item are over. Most consumers begin the process by researching products or services before they make the decision to purchase. Salesforce’s “2017 Connected Shoppers Report” noted that nearly half of all shoppers (45%) believe that it would be helpful for them to obtain better service if a brick and mortar store had information about the online research they conducted before arriving in-store. Being able to tailor offers to a client’s needs can generate more sales and engender brand loyalty.
Show Me that You Know Me
Personalization is where can demonstrate that you truly get your customer. Special offers or product recommendations based on previous search or purchase actions that resonate with the client’s needs or preferences will be met with more enthusiasm than one that is sent without any regard for their unique needs. A study from Marketo revealed that over 78% of customers would engage with offers only if they have been personalized according to previous interactions they have had with a brand. Customized marketing messages will eliminate spamming customers with ineffective messages designed to go right into the trash can the moment they hit the inbox. Tailored advertising will present them with options designed to motivate them towards purchase.
Allow Me
Shoppers today are hyper-connected. They want to search, purchase, return and receive promotions from you on their terms and interact with you either online or in-person whenever the mood strikes them. Their mobile phones or tablets allow them to visit retail stores regardless of whether your brick and mortar store is open or not.
A Forrester research report estimates that in 2016, $1.26 trillion of local retail sales were influenced by digital media. They believe that by 2021, mobile will produce roughly $1.4 trillion in local sales. So isn’t it time to consider an omnichannel approach to your retail efforts if you haven’t already connected the touchpoints you use to sell to your customers?
Value Me
Integrating the data gained from a customer shows that you value and appreciate them. When they contact your service team for a return, and they’re met with someone who knows their history and can resolve the case in a frictionless manner means a lot. It shows that you’re on top of it all and you care about their overall experience. The result is increased brand loyalty. Your clients know that they can count on you to deliver a consistent, high-quality experience. Unifying activities taken online, via mobile, on social media and in-store will deliver results for both merchants and the customers they serve.
The requirements listed above are at the core of AtTRACT "An immersive Approach to RetAil CusTomership". OSF’s involvement in this European project leverages the knowledge and experience the company has gained by developing the customer-centric product, OSF UnifyCOMMERCE (Patent Pending), which won the 2016 Salesforce Partner Innovation Award in the Retail category and is part of OSF Commerce’s portfolio (an OSF Global Services brand). While OSF UnifyCOMMERCE addresses large and enterprise retailers, AtTRACT brings benefits to small and mid-sized retailers with physical stores and an ecommerce presence who seek an omnichannel solution.
OSF Global Services and its project partners, ANOVA IT Consulting, PRAGSIS, Alambique, and Vaibmu are currently prototyping this solution which is designed to offer a low-cost, high-value SaaS-like product.
For more information on the AtTRACT project, please visit the AtTRACT website.