axway.com
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Omnichannel is still important. It's just not enough.
Omnichannel retail is a selling approach that seeks to provide the customer with a seamless shopping
experience whether he or she is shopping online from a desktop or laptop, using a tablet or mobile phone, or
browsing inside a store's physical space.
A multi-channel strategy that reaches customers when and wherever they are ready is essential to remaining
relevant and price competitive in the new universe of digital retail. Customers want the immediacy of online
shopping, the convenience and speed of web-to-shop, and a wider range of products — in stock — to reel
them back in. Without it, the consequences are steep:
• You can't compete. Digital media is driving prices to their lowest threshold. Shoppers will simply compare
prices, product range and availability with a few taps before they shop and buy. An omnichannel strategy
keeps you in the running.
• You'll lose customers, hurt brand equity and strain customer loyalty.
• Your business survival will be threatened.
Fortunately, with advancements in data integration technology, from API connectivity to hybrid on-premises
and cloud infrastructures, not to mention the pervasiveness of solutions and providers available to help, you
can create an omnichannel experience for shoppers that keeps pace with the field. But is that enough? Let's
look at what's going on in a typical omnichannel retail experience.
"I want us to stop talking about
digital and physical retail as
if they're two separate things.
The customer doesn't think of
it that way, and we can't either.
Customers just want us to
solve their everyday problems
with an easy, seamless
shopping experience."
Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart
