Page 13 - AeM_October_2022

BEST PRACTICES & STRATEGIES

delays, according to Ralf Haberich, and recom- ping and on-site collection), in what form it displays
mends recording who is responsible for the project, the stock levels per location and whether it offers
who and what is necessary during the project, real time updates for customers.
which services the supplier provides, etc. It is also
necessary to check whether your own expertise is • Does the omnichannel solution work with a mo-
sufficient regarding the implementation and inte- bile application? A holistic omnichannel experi-
gration of the solution. If in doubt, it is advisable to ence includes not only the online shop and brick-
commission the provider to do this. and-mortar stores, but also shopping apps. Retail-
ers should therefore ensure that the omnichannel
• How does the omnichannel system manage solution also supports mobile applications in the
inventory? If an omnichannel solution promises end-to-end fulfillment process. On the one hand,
inventory support, retailers should take a close this means being able to process payments on the
look, as this is the fundamental cornerstone for go. On the other hand, inventories can be synchro-
efficiently functioning omnichannel services such nized across tools and order updates can be sent
as click & collect, click & reserve and ship-from- automatically. If it is not possible to seamlessly
store. The more branches a retailer has, the more integrate an app into the system landscape via the
inventory can be managed cleanly and in real time omnichannel solution, retailers should consider
and mapped in the online shop. It is all the more whether they can implement such a real omnichan-
important that retailers check whether the system nel strategy.
has functions such as inventory management and
a real-time display of stock levels. The stocks • Is it easy and intuitive to learn how to use the
should also be reduced automatically after the or- omnichannel system? To ensure that employees
der has been placed and items should be listed use the new solution, retailers should already con-
online as out of stock – in other words, everything sider their daily work processes when making the
that is indispensable for the planned services. selection. You have to understand that system se-
lection isn't just about smooth integration, a big
• What fulfilment options does the omnichannel name, or the best price, but that the omnichannel
solution support? Retailers should also take a system is easy to use. To do this, it should be able
close look at the concrete implementation of omni- to map processes intuitively, such as sending auto-
channel services. Many providers advertise that matic employee notifications for orders and cancel-
they can implement these services quickly and lations or sending customer notifications for orders
easily, but then only offer a limited range of func- that are ready for pickup. The right solution works
tions. For this reason, it is advisable for traders to for employees regardless of age and technology
clarify the extent to which they can use the ser- affinity, which does not mean that employee train-
vices. To do this, they should ask specific ques- ing is superfluous per se.
tions, such as whether the employee will be auto-
matically notified when a Click & Collect order has • What design and branding options does the
arrived and can manage the order accordingly, omnichannel solution offer? Each retailer has its
whether stock levels are automatically adjusted, individual design and branding, which should also
and whether customers receive real-time updates be taken into account in the omnichannel system.
via email, SMS, etc. A good omnichannel system is After all, the recognition value and thus the direct
characterized by seamless experiences for cus- sales success are related to your own branding.
tomers and retailers alike. When choosing a system, retailers should there-
fore ensure that they can put their own stamp on
• Does the omnichannel system make branch the design of the omnichannel solution. It must be
selection flexible when placing orders? Alt- possible to create end-to-end styling for a seam-
hough many omnichannel solutions offer Click & less experience, customize the order of products,
Collect, they are not flexible enough when it comes and fully control the product information customers
to branch selection. It may happen that customers see. ◊
cannot pick up the items they have ordered from
the branch of their choice. Retailers with multiple By Daniela La Marca
stores should therefore look for a system that can
map stock levels by location and allow customers
to place an order for multiple locations. For a flexi-
ble branch selection, it is necessary to evaluate,
among other things, whether the omnichannel so-
lution allows combined shopping carts (online ship-

October 2022: Customer Journey & Experience Marketing 13