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6
Measure Performance
Advanced cross-channel order management must be support-
ed by effective strategies for managing inventory and mea-
suring performance. Toward this end, you need to consider:
total spending per merchandise category;
satisfaction and define in-store vs. online assortments;
category trends and manage inventory levels;
per product category;
well as order distribution and inventory
control; and
allocators can understand which out-of-
stock products are queried the most per
location.
A Cultural Shift
Effectively navigating the shift from multi-
channel to unified channel-agnostic retail-
ing takes more than just technology; it
also requires a managed shift in thinking
by agents and stakeholders across your
enterprise. In fact, one of the biggest challenges is to incor-
porate cross-channel as a culture, not just a technique, and to
ensure that it becomes deeply rooted in the corporate DNA.
That means focusing not just on how cross-channel is de-
livered but also squarely on what it is for: delivering a better
experience for your customers, aligned with their lifestyles,
technology, preferences and expectations. This thinking must
underpin the core business strategy and be championed by
the CEO, effectively communicated to associates at all levels,
and included in performance measurement.
Like most retailers, you are likely still moving toward a tru-
ly unified, omni-channel operation. A balanced effort based
on adopting the right technology and approach can acceler-
ate this journey and deliver progressive, tangible benefits to
you and your customers with each step.
T
oday’s consumers expect a seamless, channel-ag-
nostic shopping experience through which they
browse, compare, order and manage merchandise
on their own terms. As a result, today’s leading
retailers are leveraging technology that delivers that expe-
rience by enabling online channels and even their custom-
ers’ own devices to serve as fluid extensions of the store and
business as a whole. What can you do to achieve this level of
omni-channel performance with high ROI?
Order Management is Key
First and foremost, you must employ a cross-channel solution
with the capacity to break down the traditional silos between
your store and e-commerce environments.
Toward this end, order management func-
tionality is perhaps most important. Your
solution should, at minimum, enable your
customers to transact in one channel or loca-
tion and fulfill from another, e.g., to order
online and pick-up and return in any store.
Your cross-channel solution must also enable
your associates to quickly locate the custom-
er’s desired merchandise and fulfill the order
from anywhere across the enterprise.
In-Store Support
Profitably elevating the customer experi-
ence by unifying channels calls for removing impediments to
consistency and simplicity in all aspects of a transaction—vir-
tually anything that could generate frustration in the minds
of your customers and lead them to walk or click away to your
competitors.
For example, your cross-channel solution should ideally be
supported by POS functionality that integrates your store and
online channels with consistent pricing, promotions, tax calcu-
lations and even loyalty rewards, so your customers can collect
and use them with any transaction. You’ll want to consider giv-
ing your store associates the power of wireless, enterprise-wide
connectivity so they can quickly go online to locate and order
items across channels. And to further extend this convenience,
you may also want to allow your customers to complete in-
store transactions with their own smartphones or tablets.
Elevating the
One of the biggest
challenges is to
incorporate cross-
channel as a culture, not
just a technique, and to
ensure that it becomes
deeply rooted in the
corporate DNA.
Omni-Channel ExperienceWITH THE RIGHT SYSTEMS, DATA AND APPROACH, CHANNEL UNIFICATION ENSURES
THAT RETAILERS AND THEIR CUSTOMERS BOTH COME OUT ON TOP
CAROLINA DEVIA ANGARITA, DIRECTOR OF CROSS-CHANNEL AND ECOMM, EPICOR SOFTWARE CORPORATION