For the past decade, merchants have extolled the importance of eCommerce operations, which enable retailers to reach a new audience of eager customers. ECommerce continues to be important for successful retailers, but as online extensions begin to mature, many merchants are looking to the omnichannel shopping experience as the next step.

For retail brands that started in the brick-and-mortar space, this means augmenting in-store shopping with online and mobile components, creating an all-inclusive adventure for customers. Over the past few years, many traditional merchants jumped full bore into the digital space. Now, they are realizing that customers are looking for not just an online shopping experience, but one that consolidates all the different channels into one.

By combining online, mobile and brick-and-mortar shopping into a single, comprehensive affair, some merchants are even finding that they are able to improve sales and capture more of consumers’ discretionary spending.

Omnichannel revolves around letting customers shop how and where they want to, so the fact that this approach can lead to more transactions shouldn’t come as any surprise.

“As eCommerce moves out of the infancy stage, some retailers are moving to a more omnichannel approach,” Forbes reported. “They’re creating ways to bridge the gap between the virtual and in-store experience, introducing purchasing paradigms that are nudging consumers to upend the way they have shopped since time immemorial.”

Upgrading the in-store experience
Conventional brick-and-mortar retailers will need to rethink their in-store experience in the context of mobile and Web eCommerce operations in order to succeed in the new environment. For example, an L2 report found that while 77 percent of retail brands allow users to make a purchase online and return it in-store, many lack more advanced interactions, such as redeeming online coupons at physical locations or buying items online and picking them up at nearby shops.

One of the reasons brick-and-mortar-first retailers are struggling with this is due to legacy systems, according to Forbes. Upgrading to new eCommerce software and platforms will not only help streamline their operations, it will allow them to create a unified way of serving their customers. Modern solutions, such as SalesWarp, help track customers regardless of where they shop. This ensures that merchants are providing their shoppers with a true omnichannel experience.

As Forbes notes, eCommerce will continue to attract more dollars as retailers perfect their online platforms. However, the merchants who will see the most success are those who offer an integrated, omnichannel shopping affair. Retailers, from major brands such as Urban Outfitters to Sephora to smaller chains will benefit by transitioning from siloed eCommerce operations to a unified experience.

Customers no longer want to just shop on the Web or via their smartphone or at physical stores – they want to do what’s convenient for them at any given moment. The onus falls on you, the retailer, to make use of the tools and software that allows you to create a better shopping experience for them.

Click on the link to learn more how SalesWarp can help you create that omnichannel shopping experience.