Creating a true omnichannel shopping experience requires integrating all aspects of a business and having retail software in place that can follow an item regardless of whether it was sold in-store or online. For some customers, this is an expectation of how the industry works: if they decide to return an item they bought on the Internet, they will likely seek out a brick-and-mortar location to complete the process. This is more convenient for them than shipping it back, after all. 

While allowing customers to refund an item no matter where it was bought is important, some merchants also see the advantages of giving shoppers the choice of in-store delivery. This has the potential to save on shipping costs, particularly if an item is already available at the store. According to Internet Retailing, many New Look shoppers are fond of this option, with 25 percent of its ecommerce customers choosing to pick their purchases up from brick-and-mortar stores. With its Web sales up by 52.9 percent during the first half of 2013, this represents a key option for the fashion retailer. 

To achieve this, though, merchants will have to have transparency and connectivity between all levels of their business. This can be accomplished through robust retail inventory management tools. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Thursday, November 21st, 2013 at 6:41 am .