Faster, Better, Stronger: The Omnichannel Retail Experience

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A common issue that deters shoppers from purchasing online is the absence of feeling that instant gratification after purchasing. Shoppers often opt to shop at brick and mortar stores because it is simply more satisfying to have your purchase at hand and ready to go when you are. In addition, shoppers don’t have to worry about shipping costs and count down the extra days they must wait for their purchases to arrive. Companies like Amazon Prime and Zappos.com have tried their best to circumvent the issue of timing by offering free express shipping and often exceeding their customer’s expectations by having items arrive faster than promised. But is this as good as it gets?

When I came across Kate Spade Saturday’s newest concept of digital window shopping, I couldn’t help but feel impressed. Excited even. Kate Spade Saturday, a solely ecommerce based sister brand of Kate Spade New York, partnered with eBay to launch four digital window shops across New York City. These window shops, powered by digital screens, operate 24/7 for a short period of time. More importantly, these digital shops offer free one hour delivery anywhere in Manhattan, which can be scheduled via a shopper’s smartphone.

Let’s back up. Yes. Free. ONE HOUR. Delivery.

All the hesitancy to purchase an item digitally has all of a sudden evaporated. POOF! Did Kate Spade just attempt to remedy the timing issue perplexing ecommerce websites for so long?

Welcome to the new age of digital shopping. True, this isn’t completely an ecommerce shopping experience but it is a way for an ecommerce based company to showcase their products in a different way. Also true that this type of delivery would not be sustainable outside a small radius where either a warehouse or a brick and mortar store is located, but its a start. Eventually, ecommerce companies will figure out a way to shorten delivery time as much as possible to attract those instant gratification hungry shoppers.

If we cut out the timing barrier in ecommerce and add in the omnichannel retail experience that is already developing, the idea of remarketing and reaching out your consumers is more important than ever. As any nudge you send to them directly, and as quickly as possible, pushes them closer to completing that purchase. Soon, we will be able to segment real time remarketing emails based on geographical location. Shoppers browsing within a certain location will receive reminders of same-day delivery options. Speaking from a conversion focused, ecommerce solution, the advancement of the omnichannel experience opens up many opportunities in terms of cross channel remarketing.

Where does this bring us? In the future, I predict we will be able to shop on our mobile devices from anywhere and have our products delivered that day, perhaps even within the hour. The possibilities are endless. But today, I’m enjoying the development of the omnichannel retail experience: browse on your laptop, check it out again on your phone, visit the digital window shop, purchase on your tablet, and an hour later delivered to your door, cubicle, bar, or wherever else you might be. Now that’s impressive.

Republished with author's permission from original post.

Charles Nicholls
Charles Nicholls is a social commerce expert and board advisor to several e-commerce startups. He founded SeeWhy, a real-time personalization and machine learning platform, which was sold to SAP. Serving as SVP of product, he built SAP Upscale Commerce, an e-commerce platform for direct-to-consumer brands and the mid-market. Today, Charles serves as chief strategy officer for SimplicityDX, a commerce experience company. He has worked on strategy and projects for leading ecommerce companies worldwide, including Amazon, eBay, Google and many others.

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