{"id":1674164,"date":"2016-08-21T17:35:51","date_gmt":"2016-08-22T00:35:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.retailpro.com\/News\/blog\/?p=1674164"},"modified":"2016-08-24T10:21:57","modified_gmt":"2016-08-24T17:21:57","slug":"customers-welcome-flexible-shopping-options","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.retailpro.com\/News\/blog\/index.php\/2016\/08\/21\/customers-welcome-flexible-shopping-options\/","title":{"rendered":"Customers Welcome Flexible Shopping Options"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Ecommerce<\/a>

Ecommerce alone may not perform as well as omnichannel offerings.<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s a fact of retail life: Out of stocks can cost retailers not only one sale, but also future sales. Once the customer is disappointed, he or she may never walk through that business\u2019 doors again. The sale is gone, along with any store loyalty. That\u2019s why it\u2019s critical for retailers to implement omnichannel strategies that let customers shop for and take delivery of products in the ways that fit their lifestyles.<\/p>\n

According to a new report from AGC Partners, \u201cThe Retail Industry Disruptors: Specialty Online Retailers and Marketplaces Take Center Stage<\/a>,\u201d most shoppers welcome technology that lets them take advantage of retailers\u2019 omnichannel strategies.<\/p>\n

A solid omnichannel strategy lets shoppers buy online, buy in-store or do a combination: buy online and pick up in-store (BOPIS), for example. Increasingly, customers are \u201ctaking control\u201d of their shopping experiences. They are well researched, both in terms of what products they want to buy, and where they want to purchase. They are \u201csmart shoppers,\u201d who more than ever before are able to dictate how they want to purchase merchandise.<\/p>\n

The report notes that now, shoppers are looking for what seems to be the inverse of BOPIS: They want in-store mobile technology that allows them to order a product from a retailer\u2019s e-commerce site, if it is not in stock at the store. 64%\u00a0of consumers responded that they are more likely to frequent stores that offer such technology, and 73% said that such an offering provides a \u201csuperior\u201d customer experience.<\/p>\n

Retail is an enormous, $22 trillion market worldwide<\/a>. Right now, online retail only makes up 7.4% of that total. Retailers that can “rescue” an order that cannot be filled at a physical location by routing it to its e-commerce site, will increase revenue and build customer appreciation. In addition, online sales will grow. A sale is a sale, no matter where it originates or to where it is delivered. As long as a retailer provides the channel, customers have no reason to seek the item elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Still, a number of hurdles need to be overcome, according to AGC:<\/p>\n