Cross-channel, the key to tomorrow's retail
Consumers are now familiar with online shopping. New practices have developed that are profoundly changing the retail sector. What changes are retail players facing, and how can they adapt? Read all our opinions on ERP.
Retail is changing
The e-commerce revolution involves hybridisation with other forms of commerce. Consumers are combining the sources of information and places of supply available to them. So this is neither the death of physical retailing nor the advent of all-digital retailing, but a subtle in-between that is unfolding.
Physical retail
- A pleasure outing
Physical outlets are still popular. They are simply seen from a different angle: that of the pleasure outing, the relaxing stroll. Shopping centres are moving in this direction. Relaxation/family areas, meeting places and quiet Wi-Fi zones are flourishing. Retail wants to improve the consumer experience and become a real place to live.
- Crowds: the bête noire of brick-and-mortar outlets
This serenity is fragile. One variable can shatter it all: crowds. These "pleasure" spaces can become nightmarish if they are saturated. The Saturday before Christmas should be avoided at all costs. It's a worry and a definite loss of earnings for retail operators. Controlling footfall is a priority. E-commerce therefore appears to be the ideal adjustment lever.
Digital retail
- Easier and more efficient
For many people, buying online is simpler. Rather than making a trip to the supermarket, they prefer to select products online and have them delivered. Even more so when delivery is free or if you have saved your basket from last time: less time spent looking for your usual products. Digital retail is good.
- Comprehensive, accessible information
Online, information is just a click away:
- competitors
- product information
- consumer reviews
- price comparison sites
- etc.
The internet is a mine of information. So much so that consumers quickly become experts in the field they are researching. For example, if they want to buy a sofa, they can easily become unbeatable when it comes to the technical characteristics of a meridienne compared to a BZ. And he soon has a complete knowledge of all the private sales and promotions on offer. If they had simply gone into the shop and asked a sales assistant, they would probably have received far less 360° information.
Cross-channel
Buying habits and behaviour differ from one person to another and from one product to another. Some people prefer to :
- do everything in shop: this is known as " brick and mortar ".
- do it all on the Internet: the " all click " approach
- get information on the Internet and go to the shop to buy: this is known as " click and mortar ". For these consumers, it can be interesting to offer web-to-store: order online and collect in shop
- enquire in-store and complete the purchase online. This is what 69% of consumers do. This is known as store-to-web.
Retailers must adapt to maximise customer satisfaction, whatever the purchase path.
Retailers must adapt
Making information available in-store
It is important for consumers to have as much information available to them in-store as they do online. This is what physical points of sale are gradually offering, by providing a wifi network on the one hand and Internet access terminals on the other. The aim is to show that physical shopping is not lagging behind online shopping.
Improving the in-store user experience
Online purchases are made by clicking, so they are instantaneous. In-store, however, there's always the fear of having to wait in a huge queue before being collected. For retail players, it is essential to work on this point. Some ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) tools, such as Archipelia, offer mobile checkouts. This is the POSia tool: POS for Point Of Sale and ia, a suffix specific to Internet applications. POSia is compatible with all devices: smartphones, tablets and computers. It can also be connected to the shop's internet access terminals. So when it's busy, these kiosks, which were originally designed to provide customers with information or browse the web, can be transformed into automatic checkouts. Customers are thus autonomous: they pay themselves. And queues at checkouts are reduced.
Optimising cross-channel logistics
In the back office, the cross-channel approach poses a logistical challenge. Since the same stock is distributed simultaneously over two different distribution channels (web and shop), these flows need to be managed in real time. Here, too, Archipelia offers a tailored application: TCBia (Terminal Code Barre). This is an application connected to your WMS (Warehouse Management System). It reads and records product and parcel references, and so on. So your warehouse can be managed using a single, unified and comprehensive tool.
Operating in disconnected mode, the application remains available even if wifi is difficult, for example in large warehouses or cold stores. The solution alerts you when you need it, and also offers time-clock and inventory functions for your employees.
Retail has come a long way. It is now cross-channel. To optimise the customer experience across the different buying paths, retail players need to be agile. New-generation ERP systems and associated applications help them to compete digitally, so they can get closer to their end customers and win their loyalty.
Article translated from French