While the majority of retailers strive to offer a unified commerce platform, ‘faux’ omni-channel is the reality, a Boston Retail Partners report finds.
Boston Retail Partners (BRP), “SPECIAL REPORT: Unified Commerce is the Goal, “Faux” Omni-channel is the Reality,” found retailers are falling short when it comes to offering customers an experience that transcends channels.
Many retailers have taken the “just get something done” approach over the last few years to attempt to deliver a cross-channel customer experience. The unfortunate result of this quick fix approach is a “faux” omni-channel model that doesn’t execute as promised and risks disappointing customers.
The industry has now reached a critical point where retailers can no longer afford to operate from within channel silos. They must transform their organization, business processes and technology to align with the demands of their customers. According to BRP’s 2016 POS/Customer Engagement Survey, 85% of the retailers surveyed realize the importance of offering a true unified commerce environment to their customers but most have not reached that goal yet. Only 18% of the retailers surveyed indicate they have implemented a unified commerce/single commerce platform, and two-thirds of those companies indicated that it “needs improvement.”
“Unified commerce goes beyond omni-channel, putting the customer experience first, breaking down the walls between internal channel silos and leveraging a single commerce platform,” said Ken Morris, principal, Boston Retail Partners. “The idea of a single, centralized, real-time platform for all customer engagement points is a key tenet of unified commerce. A unified commerce platform is not simply the future in-store or web platform, but combines POS, mobile, Web, call center and clienteling into one single integrated platform. It has become the new retail imperative.”
Unfortunately, the risk of losing customers due to a disappointing shopping experience caused by flawed omni-channel architecture is deadly – this is why retailers are focusing on “real” unified commerce in 2016.
This Special Report provides insight into BRP’s 2016 POS/Customer Engagement Survey and highlights the unified commerce objectives and challenges facing leading retailers today.
To download the complete BRP SPECIAL REPORT: Unified Commerce is the Goal, “Faux” Omni-channel is the Reality, visit: https://bostonretailpartners.com/2016-special-report-unified-commerce/