SALES + MARKETING
The Omnichannel Retail Experience
To improve engagement with your customers, provide a seamless shopping experience
through multiple channels.
AS DIGITAL RETAIL INNOVATIONS continue to flood the
market, customers are learning to expect a flexible, efficient,
and personalized experience when it comes to making
purchases in all settings, both online and off.
Statistics support the need for a transition from merely
engaging customers in a physical store to an omnichannel
retail experience. Traditional retail stores ignoring or refusing
to implement digital innovations are currently lagging and
will continue to lag behind omnichannel and digital retailers.
Within the United States, e-commerce sales account for 9%
of total retail sales, yet account for less that 2% of revenue at
Walmart and Target. Furthermore, according to the American
Customer Satisfaction Index, online retailers, like Amazon,
receive an average score 11 points higher than the average score
of physical department stores. other customers. In comparison, the values of internet retail
Offline vs. Online the tech-savvy teen. Consumers are responding—nearly 30% of
This doesn’t, however, mean that the physical store is becoming
obsolete—instead, it’s vital that retailers recognize the distinct
values held by physical retail above digital retail and capitalize
on those values. These values include but are not limited to the
ability to try out products, immediate satisfaction from the
purchase, and face-to-face interactions with salespeople and
lay largely in efficiency—the ability to purchase whenever and
wherever, customer reviews, and personalized recommendations
based on past purchases and viewing history.
Coffee, Done Right
A truly successful omnichannel strategy allows the customer
to achieve the tasks they want to achieve across multiple
platforms—online, on their phone, and in the store—and to
easily switch between these experiences without losing effi-
ciency. For an excellent example of omnichannel retailing,
take a look at the Starbucks app, which seamlessly transitions
customers from online to in-store. With the ability to pre-order
your coffee, skip the line, pay and tip, and redeem rewards
through the app, the coffee-ordering experience has become
more personalized for everyone from the busy professional to
Starbucks’s 2017 third-quarter sales came from the app.
Omnichannel Opportunities
As customers trickle out of the store and onto the internet,
it’s time for retail stores to recognize the value of providing
an omnichannel retail experience and respond accordingly.
Ready to branch out? Take a look at how you can help your customers transition from online to offline:
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FROM ONLINE: TO OFFLINE:
Î Î Customer service chat Î Î In-store assistance
Î Î Customer reviews Î Î In-store recommendations
Î Î Purchases Î Î In-store sales
Î Î Personalized recommendations Î Î In-store try-on’s
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