A few years ago, industry wisdom held that opening up multiple retail channels to the consumer would cannibalize in-store sales and push profits down, but today it\u2019s clear that an omni-channel approach, far from jeopardizing sales actually creates a new class of uber-customer who purchases considerably more across multiple channels than the single-channel customer will buy. There is clearly a synergistic effect when someone becomes an omni-channel customer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That said, the right mindset is key to omni-channel success. Adapting to an omni-channel approach will require retailers to retool much of their business, including the retail value chain, order management, logistics, inventory systems, merchandise presentation, and much more. Yet all these things are tactics to achieve a higher-order strategy. Omni-channel requires a fundamentally altered way of thinking about our retail businesses \u2013 and that change in perspective must happen first: where the head goes, the body will follow. Get your head in the game by applying some of the key principles of an omni-channel true believer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Be available everywhere, all the time<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today\u2019s 2.0 customer wants to be able to make a purchase on her laptop, receive the order confirmation on her smart phone, have her purchase delivered to her doorstep, share the purchase and shopping experience via social media, and if necessary, have the ability to return it to a brick\u2013and-mortar store. As a result, retailers have to be prepared to bring the store to the consumer rather than the other way around. You don\u2019t necessarily need to offer unlimited functionality on every conceivable platform: you need to have the right capabilities in the right places. Ask your customers what they want, and also observe what they actually do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s important to know whose needs and wants you\u2019re trying to meet, and to focus on doing an amazing job with those. If you can delight your core audience, build loyalty and advocacy, and keep them coming back to buy, then you win. Be there for them, and everything else will fall in line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make it seamless<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Omni-channel isn\u2019t really a new concept \u2014 it\u2019s just a new label for something that\u2019s always been true: customers see a brand as a singular thing and they expect it to function like one. Even though your company may have multiple divisions and operating units, customers expect it to act as a single entity that is behaviorally consistent across the board. If your internal structure is obvious to the consumer because they get disjointed stories and interactions depending on whom they\u2019re talking to, then you\u2019ve got work to do. When the seams don\u2019t show, when a customer crosses several channels or talks to several employees and has a completely consistent experience, then you\u2019re on the right track with omni-channel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep in touch and be in touch<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep in touch by engaging your customers across a multitude of touch points \u2014 email, social, mobile and in-store \u2014 and provide an integrated customer experience that aligns your in-store activities, online promotions and omni-channel programs with the ways your customers prefer to interact with your brand. As traditional advertising and marketing techniques lose ground to content, story, and word-of-mouth, it\u2019s essential to ride the trend. Focus on being where your customers go, and providing content in the proper context. Vary the type and nature of your content to be relevant in the context where your customers are, and always make certain your communications align with the core values of your brand, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Be genuine<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nothing rings more hollow than a disingenuous interaction. As we\u2019ve already noted, it\u2019s vital to know who you are as a brand and to know who your core customers are, too. Once you know these things, always stay true to them. This will strengthen your voice and deepen your rapport with your core customers. Assume your customers are smarter and more savvy than you give them credit for. Be real, be genuine, and treat them the way you\u2019d treat a guest or a good friend. Success here is grounded in your attitude and philosophy about who your customers are to your brand. Make sure that philosophy is part of all your internal communications and training, so everyone who interacts with customers will take this to heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Design the experience<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
We all know great customer experiences don\u2019t just happen. They have to be planned and very intentional. Focus on solving the customers\u2019 problem before they know they have a problem. This requires design thinking and discipline. By focusing on desired outcomes, leaving nothing to chance, and designing all interactions with the same attention to detail as one might design a new product, we can craft experiences that surprise and delight customers in little ways they don\u2019t expect. Those delightful surprises are the magic moments that customers remember, that they share with their friends, and that turn them into loyal brand advocates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A few years ago, industry wisdom held that opening up multiple retail channels to the consumer would cannibalize in-store sales and push profits down, but today it\u2019s clear that an omni-channel approach, far from jeopardizing sales actually creates a new class of uber-customer who purchases considerably more across multiple channels than the single-channel customer will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":11439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"A few years ago, industry wisdom held that opening up multiple retail channels to the consumer would cannibalize in-store sales and push profits down, but today it\u2019s clear that an omni-channel approach, far from jeopardizing sales actually creates a new class of uber-customer who purchases considerably more across multiple channels than the single-channel customer will buy. There is clearly a synergistic effect when someone becomes an omni-channel customer.\n\nThat said, the right mindset is key to omni-channel success. Adapting to an omni-channel approach will require retailers to retool much of their business, including the retail value chain, order management, logistics, inventory systems, merchandise presentation, and much more. Yet all these things are tactics to achieve a higher-order strategy. Omni-channel requires a fundamentally altered way of thinking about our retail businesses \u2013 and that change in perspective must happen first: where the head goes, the body will follow. Get your head in the game by applying some of the key principles of an omni-channel true believer:\n\nBe available everywhere, all the time<\/b>\n\nToday\u2019s 2.0 customer wants to be able to make a purchase on her laptop, receive the order confirmation on her smart phone, have her purchase delivered to her doorstep, share the purchase and shopping experience via social media, and if necessary, have the ability to return it to a brick\u2013and-mortar store. As a result, retailers have to be prepared to bring the store to the consumer rather than the other way around. You don\u2019t necessarily need to offer unlimited functionality on every conceivable platform: you need to have the right capabilities in the right places. Ask your customers what they want, and also observe what they actually do.\n\nIt\u2019s important to know whose needs and wants you\u2019re trying to meet, and to focus on doing an amazing job with those. If you can delight your core audience, build loyalty and advocacy, and keep them coming back to buy, then you win. Be there for them, and everything else will fall in line.\n\nMake it seamless<\/b>\n\nOmni-channel isn\u2019t really a new concept \u2014 it\u2019s just a new label for something that\u2019s always been true: customers see a brand as a singular thing and they expect it to function like one. Even though your company may have multiple divisions and operating units, customers expect it to act as a single entity that is behaviorally consistent across the board. If your internal structure is obvious to the consumer because they get disjointed stories and interactions depending on whom they\u2019re talking to, then you\u2019ve got work to do. When the seams don\u2019t show, when a customer crosses several channels or talks to several employees and has a completely consistent experience, then you\u2019re on the right track with omni-channel.\n\nKeep in touch and be in touch<\/b>\n\nKeep in touch by engaging your customers across a multitude of touch points \u2014 email, social, mobile and in-store \u2014 and provide an integrated customer experience that aligns your in-store activities, online promotions and omni-channel programs with the ways your customers prefer to interact with your brand. As traditional advertising and marketing techniques lose ground to content, story, and word-of-mouth, it\u2019s essential to ride the trend. Focus on being where your customers go, and providing content in the proper context. Vary the type and nature of your content to be relevant in the context where your customers are, and always make certain your communications align with the core values of your brand, too.\n\nBe genuine<\/b>\n\nNothing rings more hollow than a disingenuous interaction. As we\u2019ve already noted, it\u2019s vital to know who you are as a brand and to know who your core customers are, too. Once you know these things, always stay true to them. This will strengthen your voice and deepen your rapport with your core customers. Assume your customers are smarter and more savvy than you give them credit for. Be real, be genuine, and treat them the way you\u2019d treat a guest or a good friend. Success here is grounded in your attitude and philosophy about who your customers are to your brand. Make sure that philosophy is part of all your internal communications and training, so everyone who interacts with customers will take this to heart.\n\nDesign the experience<\/b>\n\nWe all know great customer experiences don\u2019t just happen. They have to be planned and very intentional. Focus on solving the customers\u2019 problem before they know they have a problem. This requires design thinking and discipline. By focusing on desired outcomes, leaving nothing to chance, and designing all interactions with the same attention to detail as one might design a new product, we can craft experiences that surprise and delight customers in little ways they don\u2019t expect. Those delightful surprises are the magic moments that customers remember, that they share with their friends, and that turn them into loyal brand advocates.\n\nSource: InRetail\u2019s 2014 Omni-Channel Action Plan for Retailers<\/a>\n\nVisit the InRetail<\/a> website to download the full report.","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-2"],"yoast_head":"\n