Omnichannel shopping is the name given to the activity of purchasing products that occurs through the use of multiple sales and service channels. For example, a customer can enter an online store, complete the purchase via live chat, and pick up the product at a pick-up point in a physical store.
Omnichannel purchases are also considered to be those in which the consumer researches and tries products in physical stores and then makes an online purchase. Or when the consumer starts a purchase process over the phone and completes it in the virtual store.
Another example of omnichannel shopping is when a customer enters a physical store and meanwhile searches for products on the same store's website on their smartphone. In this case, he can complete the purchase either through the online store or through the physical store and receive the product at the same time or at home.
Regardless, according to infographic data from Invesp , customers who buy from a company both in physical stores and online have a lifetime value 30% higher than those who buy using only one channel.
Furthermore, according to Google research , people who shop omnichannel spend up to 40% more than those who shop through only one channel. In other words, they can increase the average order value of your business. For these and other reasons, the idea of investing in the integration of sales and customer service channels seems very attractive.
To integrate channels, however, it is necessary to first know what consumers value most about omnichannel purchases. Well, that's exactly what I'm going to address next in this post. Keep reading and stay in the loop!
WHAT CONSUMERS APPRECIATE MOST ABOUT OMNICHANNEL PURCHASES?
If you intend to integrate your sales and service channels to offer a better omnichannel shopping experience, then pay attention to the numbers below. According to the aforementioned Invesp infographic:
- 82% of consumers value the ability to check product availability before visiting the store;
- 57% like the possibility to buy or reserve a product online via smartphone and pick it up in the physical store;
- 50% appreciate stored profile information available on all channels for easy access;
- 47% want a consistent personalized shopping experience from one channel to another;
- 24% would like to make use of social media for access across all channels.
Anyway, it is worth saying, omnichannel shopping is a trend all over the world. To give you an idea, in the US, 70% of shoppers said they have used online shopping and in-store pickup services, according to Invesp. Therefore, it is important to provide the integration of your company's channels.
HOW DO I DEPLOY OMNICHANNEL?
To make omnichannel purchases viable, you must invest above all in:
- Omnichannel platform capable of integrating sales and service apps;
- ERP system to integrate and plan the company's resources as a whole;
- OMS system to integrate inventories and monitor orders across multiple channels;
- BOPIS, which enables online purchases and pick-up at the physical store;
- Omnichann Marketingel to integrate online and offline advertising.
In addition, you can invest in dark stores , guide shops , and pop-up stores , among other resources, to activate omnichannel shopping. This will allow you to improve the shopping experience and optimize product delivery.
However, it's not always possible for a business owner like you to implement all of these omnichannel purchasing solutions at once. But it is possible to implement them one by one, gradually, using the " Atomic Habits " philosophy. As the saying goes, "slow and steady" is better than never getting anywhere.
As soon as you can, click on “ VTEX OMS ” and discover an omnichannel tool for order management!
