Why are omnichannel operations so significant in eCommerce? Basically — a combination of online and offline sales mainly ensures coherent shopping experiences for your customers, which is particularly significant when customers often change where and how they shop, e.g., viewing products using the mobile application, make purchases using their computer, and pick their product up from a traditional store. In practical terms, introduction of an omnichannel strategy is a quite ling and difficult process. How to implement omnichannel in eCommerce? Fast White Cat tell us!
Why is it worth implementing omnichannel to your business?
Your customer should always be in first place. This is why you, as the person managing your company, must meet their needs and shopping preferences, which are constantly changing. Every consumer has different habits – some like to shop online, others in traditional stores. The same applies to the favourite time or day of the week for shopping. Very significant today is also quick and, mainly, carefully personalised communication with the customer, making use of integrated communication channels, e.g., email marketing, SMS.
As described by PwC in one of their articles, an omnichannel strategy enables stores to maintain as many as 89% of customers. It should be emphasised here that this result does not only relate to online shopping, but also purchases made in traditional stores.
Omnichannel – how to implement it to eCommerce?
The process of implementing omnichannel is best to present in practical terms. Discover what the implementation of omnichannel looks like from a technical perspective in online stores built on the Magento platform.
Omnichannel step by step
- Integration of the central warehouse and traditional stores as stock for eCommerce.With this customers have online access to all products which are on offer. However, expanding the online assortment to all products available in traditional stores may extend the waiting time for order delivery, hence the product card should include information about the estimated delivery time.
- Function of checking the availability of products in traditional stores online.
This possibility significantly increases mobile traffic and influences the comfort of the shopping process. Customers, sitting comfortably in their own home, can check whether a product they are interested in is available in their nearest traditional store. This is a great saving of time because a customer who prefers shopping in traditional stores does not have to wander around the store but goes to the store with the intent of purchasing specific products which they know are definitely available there.
- Option of returning products purchased online in traditional stores.According to Gemius research, as many as 33% customers answered that the option of returning goods in a traditional store is more compelling for them to shop online. For many people, sending a return package may be problematic, that is why it is important to reach out to customers and offer them the possibility of returning goods in traditional stores.
- Accumulating points in a loyalty program.
Imagine that you are a customer, you enter a traditional store and scan your loyalty card. With the information from your profile, the salesperson knows what they can offer you. And you, by collecting points for shopping in traditional stores can get discounts, e.g., for online purchases.
- Possibility of collecting orders in traditional stores.
Without a doubt, customers need this option. Especially if they are not entirely convinced about shopping online. How does it work? The customer orders products from the online store and picks them up in a traditional store (most often not paying for delivery).
- Automatic link to Allegro.
Omnichannel operations do not only relate to offline and online store sales. There are also marketplaces. The largest of these in Poland is Allegro, so it is worth presenting your offer there, making best use of its potential. When using a few sales channels, it is important to remember to offer the same prices for specific products in all of them. You cannot afford for your customer to feel cheated when they purchase a jacket on Allegro for 120 PLN, when he could have purchased the same jacket in the traditional store for 60 PLN.
A solution to the problem of price differences and price control is an automatic link between Magento and Allegro. From the Magento panel you can manage all the auctions and automatically post products to Allegro. With this you have greater control over stocks and prices.
- Ordering a product online by means of the staff in a traditional store.
Suppose that a customer comes into the store and the shoes she wants are not available in her size. The salesperson immediately offers to order this product online in the appropriate size, with direct delivery to her home. This gives them the certainty that the customer actually orders the given product, not having hanged her mind on her way home.
In such a sales scenario, the order is executed n part of Magento. Sellers have complete transparency of the low of information – knowing what a given customer ordered and where.
Omnichannel operations are currently a standard for your customers.
Introduce new solutions on the Magento platform and be OMNI.