According to this article, a panel at the Retail Business Technology Expo (RBTE) “likened omnichannel to the early stages of internet connectivity after claiming retailers struggle with the more complex aspects of offering an omnichannel experience, such as personalization, seamless payments and single customer journeys.”
Offer personalization by removing silos
Many retailers assume each of their retail channels should operate differently. And if they don’t assume each channel should operate differently, they assume ecommerce should have its own silo and brick & mortar its own. That is not the case. You can not personalize your overall omnichannel experience when each channel’s experience is different. A personalized experience is not one that is different across each channel. It’s a unified experience that uses data about your customers to provide tailored offers. That’s personalization.
Make payments frictionless
We are by no means experts at this, so I’ll quote the same article mentioned above:
Improving the payments process was a step emphasized by the panel as tying retail channels together. This can be done by giving customers a seamless experience online and offline, and using payments as a platform for returns and loyalty.
A single customer journey comes from knowing your customers
Once you offer personalization and frictionless payments, you can truly provide an omnichannel experience. But, in order to optimize this experience, you have to collect data across all your touchpoints and understand how your customers interact with your various channels. Once you understand this, you can help tailor your touchpoints to your customers efficiently.
