Your customers’ expectations are rising. Today’s customers want more than just a simple transaction. They’re in search of amazing experiences—and they will no longer settle for a mediocre shopping journey.
A good customer experience means that a customer’s expectations are met or exceeded at every stage in the buying journey. Almost one-third of customers will immediately walk away from a brand after just a single bad experience. Evidently, providing a great customer experience can benefit your business in big ways. Not only will customers abandon you if your service isn’t up to par, but if their experience is good, they won’t mind spending more: 86 percent of customers are willing to pay more for a better customer experience.
As a retailer, your responsibility is to learn about what captivates your customers so you can make a compelling customer promise and then fulfill it. Omnichannel order management and fulfillment is the smart way to reinvent your store purpose and revolutionize your customers’ shopping experience.
Smooth out shopping problems
Use omnichannel order management to solve shopping problems. Customers are given more choice than ever, and retailers have less and less control over the transaction. Today, shoppers tend to browse and research online, whether they buy online or in-store. They check the wanted item on the website first, gather information, go to store to try, to see it, maybe come back home and order online. Every steps of the journey become a potential pitfall. As a leading retailer, you manage to mitigate the risks along the way but the last mile should not be underestimated. Omnichannel fulfillment can remove any friction or hurdles, heightening the convenience factor so your customers will buy more products and purchase them more frequently. Satisfied of their shipment, they will come back.
Empower store associates
Equip your store associates with the tools they need to complete the simple fulfillment process. Use tools that make it easy for your store staff to acknowledge and process online orders—this will result in accurate and timely order preparation. By using a mobile store fulfillment solution like Orckestra’s, stores can receive order details directly via an app, and employees will be guided through the fulfillment process. They’ll have access to all the relevant information needed to fulfill the order (including high-resolution product images). High-tech tools and order management systems (OMSs) can help your employees save time and fill orders more efficiently, ultimately boosting customer satisfaction.
Utilize store space
Ecommerce is growing by leaps and bounds, but don’t completely overlook in-store experiences! These are still essential for retailers. In fact, 73 percent of customers spend more time and money in stores that offer experiences. In-store experiences improve customer engagement and drive sales.
Retailers need to make better use of store space to make room for in-store experiences. By using omnichannel order management, you’ll be able to fulfill online orders and move dormant inventory from your shelves. It will reduce the need for markdowns or discounts, saving your business more money.
Aggregate inventory
Create a virtual global inventory from all of your stores and distribution centres to make your products available to customers wherever they shop. By doing this, you can implement endless aisle capabilities. Customers will be able to browse products that aren’t sold in-store and then have those products delivered to their home. If you have the desired products in stock but customers can’t find the exact colour or size they want, the correct product can simply be shipped to the customer from another location.
Use advanced order routing
Advanced order routing and omnichannel fulfillment help you make good on your promise to customers by using inventory from the best location.
Omnichannel order management allows you to utilize BOPIS: buy online, pick up in-store. BOPIS relieves retailers of last-mile delivery, and it’s also a big hit with consumers. Driven by the need for convenience and instant gratification, more and more shoppers are going to stores to pick up items they purchased online. Customers appreciate BOPIS because it allows them to see the product before taking it home. It’s also very convenient and eliminates shipping costs.
BOPIS means customers don’t have to worry about potential delivery delays, charges, or theft. They can also shop up to the last minute. For you as the retailer, BOPIS equals heightened customer satisfaction and more purchases in the future.
Track analytics
With omnichannel order management and fulfillment, retailers can benefit from real-time analytics to make important business decisions. Tracking analytics is essential to making the right choices so that your business can continue to succeed. Analytics can also help you personalize your services. Shoppers expect personalized experiences and will gravitate to businesses that provide customized transactions.
Orckestra’s mobile store fulfillment program helps retailers make store inventory more accessible to customers everywhere. The system includes an easy fulfillment process, configurable order routing, and analytics. To learn more about the OMS, contact us today.
