Omnichannel Success With a Unified Commerce Suite

In today's business world, the perfect omnichannel approach is like a mesmerizing symphony where all channels work in harmony. Companies that tailor their unified commerce strategy to the needs of their customers create an unparalleled customer experience. Discover how you can unleash the full potential of your brand through innovative solutions in the various channels - online and offline.

Modern customers expect a consistent experience, regardless of whether they interact online or in-store. Nowadays, if a customer is interested in a product, they have various opportunities to find out more about it via social media, YouTubecommunities and blog forums to find out about the latest trends, benefits and experiences relating to the product.

In a previous blog article we have already discussed the influence of channel design on the customer experience in e-commerce. For a consistent shopping experience, retail companies also need to develop solutions that create a seamless connection between e-commerce, stores and warehouses. More consistency for more efficiency in retail.

Companies that successfully integrate different channels offer their customers the flexibility to seamlessly discover and purchase products online or offline. Typical requirements for a consistent customer experience in brick-and-mortar retail are:

• Omnichannel store processes, such as Click & collect, Return in Store, ship-from-Store, and much more. The omnichannel approach enables retailers to offer a wide range of new services. services. Their primary purpose is to pick up customers in their respective shopping situation and thus reflect customer behavior. This increases customer satisfaction and loyalty in the long term.

• Instore-Support for sales staff in stationary retail Stores require an intuitive tool for such omnichannel store processes. The use of in-store apps promotes the management of inventory in the stores and offers a variety of dialog systems that can be used by store employees on PCs, tablets, smartphones or other devices as required.

Other requirements play a major role in creating consistency in online retail too:

In order to take into account all the necessary requirements for omnichannel commerce for more consistency in the customer journey, valuable data can be collected within a so-called holistic unified commerce strategy via the end-to-end customer journey.to-end customer experience can be collected. Put your customers at the center of your strategy! When your customers have access to individual benefits and offers anytime and anywhere, you not only increase sales, but also customer satisfaction. 

Learn how to ensure the availability of your customers' new favorite products and provide consistent price and order status information across all channels in our masterclass on September 10th (German language only): Digital Commerce Masterclass: Omnichannel Excellence (arvato-systems.com)

The challenge for omnichannel retailers is to successfully implement the integration of the above processes and ensure that each channel provides the same high standard of service and quality. Many companies struggle with outdated systems that prevent such flexibility and competitiveness with large omnichannel players.

Typical challenges and issues that retail companies face are:

• Handling and management of stock (order management)
  Retail companies should decide, for example From which stocks do I take which items and to which stocks do I return returned items?

• Order orchestration
  Retail companies should route efficiently: From which store can orders be sent? From which warehouse does the online store orchestrate orders and how can this be designed to be both cost-optimized and customer-oriented (e.g. through fast delivery of goods)? How do I manage orders with different items across multiple channels?

• Centralized pricing and promotions
  Retail companies need to define clearly, for example: Are promotions and discounts offered both online and offline? How can local promotions contribute to the sale of goods from a particular store or warehouse? Do my employees always know the right price - both in customer service and in the store business?

• Optimization of the fulfillment strategy
  Retail companies should constantly review their fulfillment: Is the smooth processing and delivery of orders ensured? Are availability and information on order status transparent for employees and customers?

• Efficient apps/APIs for the instore-processes
  Do store employees have tools that support receiving, picking & packing orders and monitoring order and payment status across all channels?

• Third-party integration (dropshipper)
  Retailers should keep an eye on their assortment and product offering: Are third-party providers carefully connected to access a wider range of resources and expertise?

In order to quickly become active in omnichannel retailing, existing IT landscapes should continue to optimally map the core business of a retail company and not have to be extensively adapted. It is therefore advisable to use existing interfaces and connect new features to existing systems.
 

Imagine a classic IT architecture: In addition to the standard e-commerce systems, there are often various systems such as Enterprise resource planning systems (ERP), Product Information Management Systems (PIM), Customer Relationship Management Systems (CRM), financial management systems and statistics tools. The challenge is that although the e-commerce system is often connected to ERP, CRM and PIM, there is often no direct connection to the brick-and-mortar business. The e-commerce system often has separate inventory and payment methods that are not aligned with traditional inventory. So how can an omnichannel unified commerce strategy be effectively implemented? 

The solution: a unified commerce suite that enables a comprehensive customer experience. This solution helps to maintain an overview of all channels and to present the product range and benefits in a uniform manner.

With targeted solutions that can be connected to existing systems according to your company's needs and integrate all channels, you can significantly optimize the customer experience and improve consistency. Companies that harmoniously integrate their various touchpoints not only benefit from stronger customer loyalty, but also increase their competitiveness.
 

Companies should aim to ensure coherent communication and thus strengthen customer trust. In the dynamic retail environment, the key to success is to view the entire sales process as a unit and always put the customer at the center of the omnichannel experience.