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The Real Value Of Omnichannel For Luxury Retail Brands.
Your website, social media, and customer service need to look, feel, and be flawless - but that’s not enough. Your business absolutely needs all of these things, but they need to work together and bridge the gap to offer your customer the most user-friendly, intuitive shopping experience. Omnichannel software integrates your customer’s browsing experience however they’re shopping - online and off. Omnichannel retailing avoids disruptions to a site visitor’s navigation, creating a seamless shopping journey from beginning to end. There are a myriad of reasons why omnichannel software is the hot topic of the year for retailers globally, read on to find out how your business can benefit from implementing omnichannel ecommerce software.
Create a seamless shopping experience
According to a Huffington Post article1, 85% of online consumers begin a transaction on one device and finish on another. Have you ever begun creating a shopping list on your mobile phone and saving it for later, only to go to the site on your computer and realize that your cart has magically disappeared? It’s frustrating for the customer, and it’s unlikely that they’ll go back and begin the process all over again. Even if they do end up making a purchase, they could likely add fewer items to their cart the second time, resulting in lost sales. Your customer shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to reach their end destination of completing a transaction. An omnichannel solution can minimize common customer pain points and save the sale, and ensure that the shopper will happily return.
A consistent brand promise and voice across all channels
Deliver on value proposition, promotions, policies, pricing, and product. Have you ever looked up an item you needed urgently and found it was listed as “in stock” online, only to show up at the location to be told they don’t have it? Or perhaps worse, the item is in stock but significantly more expensive than the online listed price? This is the importance of consistency - by saving your customer precious time, you prove to them that they’re valued. Omnichannel software can ensure that vital info about your business is up-to-date and accurate.
Increase customer loyalty
As a customer continues to return to your website, an omnichannel experience can help them feel confident. A familiar, uniform experience across all browsing channels allows them to know what to expect, and ensures that their needs are met; and the exact level of service they’ve become accustomed to is provided every step of the way. Additionally, an omnichannel experience can incentivize customers to return, whether it’s to redeem loyalty points from online purchases in store, or simply recognizing VIP customers when they return to the website.
Maximize your budget
Although many retailers say that budget is an obstacle in implementing an omnichannel strategy, in the long run it’s far more cost effective to offer your customers a seamless omnichannel experience. From the perspective of a customer service team, ecommerce chat software allows agents to handle multiple chats concurrently versus an outdated phone or email model which only allows agents to handle one customer service request at a time. These systems impede the sales process and delay the customer from reaching the ultimate goal of the journey, which is completing the sale. And it’s possible that if the customer must wait days for an email back from a customer service team, they may become so discouraged that they may not complete the sale at all. Omnichannel allows your business to save sales, deliver better customer service, and embrace every opportunity to target your online customer and encourage them to complete a transaction. Additionally, an omnichannel experience will allow your customer service team to handle incoming messages and requests from all platforms efficiently, reducing the need for a unique set of skills and requirements for each platform. Can you really afford not to have omnichannel?
1 "About 85% of online shoppers start a purchase on one device and finish on another."
- Huffington Post, Top 2018 eCommerce Trends to Watch For
