What is Omni-Channel Retail?
“Omni” means all. Your channels are the ways shoppers interact with your business. Thus, omni-channel
retail delivers a seamless and consistent customer experience throughout your stores, online, on the
radio, in direct mail and catalogs, and across other areas of customer engagement. The goal is to
integrate these channels and make the shopping experience easy and consistent. Viener Consulting and
NCR Counterpoint provide the necessary systems and software to successfully connect with customers
across point of sale, inventory control, customer management, and marketing. If you want your business
to evolve in the diversifying world of customer interaction, read on.
The world of eCommerce has exploded over the
past 20 years into a thriving industry that aims to
make shopping experiences easier and more
effective. With the advent of new technologies as
well in-store and internet-based purchases, even
the smallest merchants can sell to customers all
over the world. Don’t think that all of this means
the end for brick-and-mortar locations, though.
Merchants need to sell across multiple channels to
continue growing and competing.
The modern shopper desires the ability to begin in one channel and jump to another fluidly with few or
no bumps in the process. For example, a shopper may look at a website on a mobile device, add an item
to his cart, but not complete the purchase. Later, when he gets home, he logs on to his home computer
to review the product, but still decides to hold off on purchasing. A day later, if he still hasn’t made a
purchase decision, the merchant can send the shopper an automated email encouraging him to
purchase and maybe even offer a coupon. The shopper could move from one device to another, easily
access the site and their cart, as well as receive interaction from the merchant.
Part of this strategy is branding: ensuring that the same logos, typefaces, color schemes, language, and
other visual elements are consistent across your physical store and your website. Part of it is systems
and process-based: enabling customers to switch from one channel to another without hitting any
hurdles. And part of it is something more intangible: the feeling that a customer is where they want and
need to be when they interact with a company at any given moment.
We strive to standardize your processes, rules, messaging and pricing policies. Also, and without
deviating from the familiar feeling customers expect, we create something for each channel. Something
that’s memorable and unique, but fitting to the overall narrative of your business.
Consumers do their online shopping from a variety of locations — wherever it’s most convenient. From
their desk at the office to lying in bed first thing in the morning, each year more and more commerce is
transacted online, from places outside the traditional retail outlet. But the brick-and-mortar store may
be more important than ever.
A 2015 InReality study found that 75% of shoppers have browsed for items online while in a physical
store. A similar BigCommerce study discovered 25% of Americans have actually made an online
purchase while standing in a brick-and-mortar store.
So, the in-store draw is still an important one for many merchants. Many of the most successful retailers
are omni-channel commerce businesses, meaning they have both online and brick-and-mortar stores.
People may enjoy the convenience of placing an order from the road, but the ability to personally see
and hold a prospective purchase is equally powerful.
In fact, some of the largest e-Commerce merchants are opening brick and mortar stores. Brick and
mortar has become a goal for successful e-Commerce companies. This is something to keep in mind of if
you already have a physical store, you are ahead of the game.
NCR counterpoint is the most flexible, powerful, and advanced retail management software in today’s
market. This software is essential for retailers who need to maintain a high level of operational
efficiency at store to multi-store level and corporate headquarter level. Marrying the best practices in
the software to your existing business model results in utilizing tight inventory control, priceoptimization, customer satisfaction initiatives, vendor relationships, and employee management that
will accelerate many aspects of your business.
NCR is the one system that is pre-built for an Omni-Channel world. Ask Viener Consulting how we can
help “make your business work” better for you.