Consumers that connect with retailers via multiple selling channels are more profitable than ones who don’t. As a result, the industry has moved from the question “Should we sell through multiple channels?” to “How can we effectively execute on a cross-channel strategy?” We asked retailers to share their hopes and concerns:
Key Findings:
- Retailers are focused on fulfillment execution: omni-channel fulfillment was rated “very important” by 75% (a 27% increase over our 2012 study)
- Eighty percent of responding retailers say that 360° of inventory visibility is “very important”
- The perceived best opportunity for technology enablement is in creating enterprise-wide visibility, but “customer visibility”, “customer insights”, and “a single customer interaction platform that crosses channels”, also present huge opportunities.
Omni-Channel 2013: The Long Road to Adoption contains candid insights gleaned from retail respondents as well as recommendations for ways to move forward to improved processes and profits, supported by both organizational change and enabling technologies.