Today's consumers have the ability to purchase what they want whenever, however and wherever, putting them in total control of the market. Fulfilling those orders is key. What's the best way to do that?
Less than half of retailers currently offer order fulfillment solutions
like in-store pickup or ship-from-store to consumers, but 2015 provides a chance to improve their business operations and invest in technologies that will improve the bottom line and create unforgettable customer shopping experiences in all channels. Shopatron, a provider of cloud-based distributed order management solutions, says retailers must view 2015 as the year when omnichannel commitment becomes the priority.
Eighty-six percent of respondents agree that omnichannel has meant that customer and consumer expectations of the organization have increased, according to a recent SAP survey. So, as consumers increasingly use new technologies and channels to guide their purchase decisions, consumer products companies have adapted omnichannel strategies to reach these customers directly, in addition to working through the retailer as in years past.
With expectations higher than ever for a merry omnichannel holiday season, retailers are assertively preparing their shipping operations to avoid delivery and service hiccups.
Holiday promotions, including so-called Black Friday deals, are expected to begin even earlier this year than last, according to Experian Marketing Services, a cross-channel consumer information firm that recently surveyed more than 200 marketers.
Target CFO John Mulligan has confirmed that Target is in the middle of not one but four different fulfillment pilots, including acting as a guinea pig for the same-day-delivery trials of both Google and Ebay. The other Target trials involve pay-online-pickup-in-store, pay-in-store-pickup-at-another-store and pay-online-ship-from-store.
