Page 14 - AeM_October_2022

BEST PRACTICES & STRATEGIES

Omnichannel can have a lasting impact

on the consumer experience

The past two years have had a significant impact channel after the pandemic and the principle is simple:
on economic development and people's the dealers have a small local warehouse of their
behavior. Social distancing and mandated goods in the shop where customers can examine, try
business closures during lockdowns have forced on and select the offers. Once the choice has been
retailers to break new ground and to make up for made, the retailer orders the goods from the ware-
the losses with new models – with mixed house and has them sent to the customer's home. If the
goods still do not meet the requirements, they can be
Focusing more on omnichannel in stationary and online returned both in the shop and online. This creates more
business is probably one of the best solutions to fulfill comfort for both sides. The customer can take a close
customer wishes, improve the consumer journey in the look at the color, the fit and the model on site and de-
long term and make it more transparent. cide on a specific version. As a result, the number of
returns is already sustainably reduced, and retailers no
With customer shopping behavior shifting increasingly longer have to hoard large stocks on site but can leave
towards online, customers embrace the option that they them in the warehouse. In this way, retail space and
can have almost anything conveniently and easily deliv- costs can be saved.
ered to their home. But this is often not particularly sus-
tainable. Since the products are only known from pic- "Click & Collect" in times of a pandemic
tures, many people order their goods in different ver-
sions, and for this reason, the number of returns has Although the combination of ordering online and picking
increased in parallel with larger order quantities. it up in a store is a step towards omnichannel, it is not
yet fully developed. Especially with the “Click & Collect”
So-called flagship stores could be a way towards omni- model, customers often complain about the lack of

14 October 2022: Customer Journey & Experience Marketing