2021 holiday shopping season: 4 ways retailers can prepare
The 2021 holiday shopping season is fast approaching. Retailers can put themselves in the best position for success by taking these steps to prepare.
There’s a common misperception about omnichannel retail: That all retailers must be on all channels. In reality, the opposite is true. Instead of spreading themselves thin across too many niche channels, retailers should offer positive experiences on the channels that matter most to their particular customers.
The most effective omnichannel retail strategy has focus, with channel selection based on customer data. Offering products on each and every third-party channel is simply a waste of resources.
Retailers must understand where their customers are and double down on the customer experience on those channels. But retailers can take this further:
- Make it seamless
- Leverage customer data for strategic focus
- Incorporate customer service
Omnichannel retail strategy: The holistic approach
A good omnichannel strategy meets customers where they are. A great strategy gives them everything they need to explore and transact on the channel of their choice, but also enables a seamless experience if they choose to move to another channel.
In essence, these retailers are focused on the holistic customer experience. While shoppers have everything they need on each channel, their circumstances or preferences may inspire a jump to an additional sales channel.For example, many consumers might browse products on their smartphones, save items to their cart, and then complete the purchase once they’re in front of a computer. This seamless movement from one channel to the next is at the core of an optimal omnichannel experience.
Shopping channels should be in service to one another, instead of adding friction. This might look like a shopper trying on clothing in-store, but not finding the right color in their size. Being able to easily order the correct item for them and shipping it to them free of charge saves the sale and has the potential to boost loyalty.
Seamless omnichannel retail strategy in action
Another way of looking at it is from the angle of a direct to consumer retailer like Outdoor Voices.
The athletic brand enjoys high demand and occasional out of stocks on popular items. Instead of letting shoppers down and encouraging them to look elsewhere, they turn to email to alert the shopper when the size and color they’re after is back in stock.This way, the retailer has a new way to contact the shopper with promotional content and consumers enjoy the added bonus of saving them time they may have spent checking to see if the item was back in stock. This is a true win-win scenario made possible by a strong omnichannel retail strategy.
The role of customer service
There’s a huge incentive to keep shoppers on one channel or engaged with a seamless experience cross channel: getting shoppers further down the funnel faster. All retailers want to keep shoppers engaged to encourage them to check out because any disruption can lead to confusion and cart abandonment.
One of the main goals of any omnichannel retail strategy is to not disrupt the customer experience. Shoppers don’t want to be browsing products on a retailer’s website, have a question, and then have to call a toll free number that informs them they will have to wait 30 minutes to speak with a representative.
Instead of pushing shoppers away with a clunky experience, have customer service at the ready on chat to assist with any questions in real time.
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Omnichannel retail: Data paves the way
Omnichannel retail is an all-or-nothing proposition. A retailer can’t have a channel without supporting the end-to-end experience.
Similarly, there is no “best” retail channel to focus on, instead customer data should dictate this. Survey customers to understand where they like to shop and where they like to engage with your products and content. If you’re offering a consistent experience across the top channels they prefer, then you have achieved your goal.
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Retailers can’t be everything to everyone (except maybe behemoths like Amazon). The best omnichannel retail strategy focuses on the channels on which you can provide the best experience possible.
It’s better not to offer a sales channel at all if you can’t devote the effort needed to make it memorable. The days of run-of-the-mill retail are over. Customers have high expectations for brands and younger consumers even crave an authentic relationship.
This connection can’t be forged when a retailer is spread too thin across dozens of sales channels. It’s only possible when customer data illuminates the sales channels that are most fruitful.
