The point of sale no longer occurs at the register alone, and as time progresses, retailers may need to integrate all levels of their operation from the brick-and-mortar store to their e-commerce site. Consumers are coming to expect that merchants will offer a similar level of service regardless of whether they are buying an item online or in-person.

However, many businesses may still possess departmental silos that reduce their ability to integrate data and improve service through every part the organization. Eliminating these silos can create a seamless shopping experience that provides the same level of customer satisfaction regardless of how an item is purchased. Retail management software can help merchants attain consistent service across all aspects of the business.

Online purchase, in-store pickup
One trend that some retailers have recently been instituting is the in-store pickup of items purchased online. Internet Retailer noted that Target will be providing this service throughout its nearly 1,800 stores as well as its e-commerce site. While it will begin in Minneapolis, the company plans on implementing the policy throughout its chain locations around the holidays. 

Target follows in this trend with other major retailers such as Staples, Wal-Mart and Gap, all of which provide their customers an interconnected e-commerce and brick-and-mortar shopping experience. 

This is but Target's latest effort to link its sales among multiple channels, with Internet Retailer reporting that it also began testing Cartwell, its Facebook-based discount service.

Simply because a retailer's relationship begins online does not mean it will remain there, and customers may come to expect greater integration among all branches of a merchant's business. Brands that move toward this sales structure may experience an increase in customer loyalty as well as a greater number of sales stemming from shoppers who know that a chain will meet them on their own terms, and at nearly any time. 

The impulse buy
Integrated Solutions for Retailers levied one criticism against Target's move, noting that the brand partially relies on impulse buys. Regardless of whether this is true, merchants should remember that this aspect of shopping will remain a critical part of why brick-and-mortar stores are still an important aspect of the shopping experience. While e-commerce has become more integral than ever, it will never be able to sate a customer's need for something right now.