Omnichannel

A word heard in almost all meetings in the retail industry is omnichannel – the holistic channel concept. Literally, it means that all distribution and communication channels are used in an integrated and uninterrupted manner, providing a perfect customer experience. For the holistic channel marketing strategy, we can say that all channels are brought together and reach the consumer through the channels brought together.

In the past, companies could not get to know their customers fully and provide them with a seamless experience by offering a different and independent experience in different channels. Nowadays, it is tried to provide a more integrated experience by following the entire interaction of the customer with the company. Of course, there are companies that still prefer to apply different prices in their stores and sites.

So how can we embody this concept? What are examples of this? If you wish, let’s explain the most common applications in order without going into too much detail.

• Ability to return and exchange the product purchased online: In summary, it means the exchange-return of a product purchased via e-commerce in the store. A shirt you bought from the application did not suit you, you want to change the product from the store immediately without going through processes such as return shipping, product control, and return later. I was very surprised to see that this was not done in a very large global textile company in 2019.

• Delivery of the product purchased from the store to the address: It means that the product you have selected and paid for in the store is delivered to your address by cargo. It is a very useful application especially for bulky products that need to be sent to a different location. I think it is a very valuable application because it not only meets the need to buy products by touching, but also eliminates the problem of transporting the product.

• Procurement of the product purchased through e-commerce from the store: It is the receipt of the products selected and paid for through the application or e-commerce site from the store. In some scenarios, in-store payment is also possible. Of course, it is a very time-saving process, especially if you have limited time (like all of us) that the products are collected on your behalf when you reach the store, instead of searching for individual products in the store.

• Making sales in the store or with a kiosk in any location: This application, which is slightly different from other concepts, allows both information about the products to be given through fixed special screens, and the products to be selected and sold like a website or application. The biggest advantage of kiosks, whose applications have increased in recent years, is that you can sell like a store with a device you put in any area.

• E-Commerce and Store Listing of all their purchases: It is the listing of not only their digital purchases, but also their purchases in the store, in the application and on the e-commerce site. Likewise, not only store purchases but also digital purchases of the Customer are listed on store POS screens.

Of course, new methods and applications will come here as well. The retail world, where competition is at a high level, will develop new methods in order to touch more people and create value.