Today’s retailers are responding to customer demand for omnichannel services that enable them to shop wherever, whenever and however they want. But while some retailers have fully operational systems in place, and others are making good progress in their journey towards connected commerce, a recent study of over 150 retailers finds that a significant minority are yet to make a start on integrating some systems that underpin modern retailing.
The study suggests that even where the foundations of connected commerce are firmly in place, few traders have as yet moved on to adding value to their businesses through cross-channel marketing, by digitizing the store, or by fully harnessing the power of go-anywhere mobile devices within the retail experience.
The polled retailers rated their progress on a scale of 10, where 1 means not yet deployed and 10 is fully operational. Fewer (14.4%) have reached that fully operational goal. A similar proportion (56.2%) were at least halfway towards achieving the global view of store inventory that also underpins such services, with 19.0% considering this task complete. Asked how far along the road they were to enabling returns via any channel, 63.5% were at least halfway, and 14.4% considered the job complete.
To drive growth in the retail market, brands must prioritize their omnichannel capabilities. That means retailers should be investing in the technologies and programs that will make the most difference for the customer, to meet their expectations and remain competitive in an increasingly crowded marketplace. So, wherever your business is along the omnichannel maturity curve, there’s likely to be room for improvement.
