What the customers really want in an ideal Omni-channel world? Simple but still an imperative question

What the Customers really want in an ideal Omni-channel world? This question has been and will remain the guiding principle for many years to come for retailers across geographies and any retailer who wishes to win the game should constantly remind themselves of this imperative question.

I had mentioned this in my article published in 2017, and 2019 is no different to it. Consumers are hoping for high levels of choice, convenience and recognition in modern, Omni-channel shopping. These can be crisply identified as three, clear-cut stages of capability that retailers must offer to be truly Omni channel:

SELL ANYWHERE.

Digital and physical commerce channels share full visibility of network-wide inventory, customer transactional profiles and available promotions in order to sell consistently, anywhere.

FULFILL ANYWHERE.

Fulfillment of digital orders in the store and multiple fulfillment options from the store including buy online, pick-up in-store (BOPIS), ship from store, curbside pickup, store to store fulfillment.

ENGAGE ANYWHERE.

Elevate customer service and clienteling to create exceptional experiences. Whether online, in the contact center or in the store, you can delight the customer, regardless of where they started their buying journey.

And threading through all three stages of capability is the challenge of introducing new ways of working profitably and customer delight.

This is the holistic world that every retailer MUST aim to create. Every penny spent and any innovation made should contribute to these basic needs first, before delighting customers in any other way.