When Selling Online and In-Store- Consistency is King.

It’s all about creating a CONSISTENT customer experience across all platforms including brick-and-mortar.

In today’s world it is necessary to seamlessly integrate your online and offline sales channels in order to create a positive, and consistent, sales experience for your customers. In order to do this you will need to pursue one, holistic approach to create this consistency. Enter "omni-channel". For most building product suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers there is the desktop experience, mobile experience, tablet experience, and brick-and-mortar experience. At its core, omni-channel is defined as “a multi-channel sales approach that provides the customer with an integrated shopping experience.” 

When properly implemented, a well thought out omni-channel approach integrated with your e-commerce sales channel is also likely to be a cost-saving approach. An omni-channel strategy allows enterprises to have more ways to supply customers with the products and services they want in the most cost-effective manner possible. Self-service and self-ordering capabilities, which consumers have come to expect, can also save money and manpower for businesses.

Regardless of industry, today the consumer expects a more customized purchasing experience. Not surprisingly, these expectations have spilled over into the supply chain. While customers may not wish for suppliers to switch to an online-only model, they do expect an e-commerce option that complements existing channels. E-commerce has transformed consumer retail while omni-channel has transformed the distribution landscape. Today, companies often expect their suppliers to provide customized online options to support and enhance their traditional service offerings. Your customer can be shopping online from a desktop, mobile device, by telephone, or in a brick-and-mortar location, regardless of how they are placing orders their experience should be seamless and consistent.

Phun Phact: At least 43% of customers use their mobile phone while shopping in a brick-and-mortar store. (phunware mobile statistics)

That simple fact alone shows you the importance of online and offline consistency. If your customer is looking for a product on your website WHILE in a physical location and it says it is currently "in stock" yet it isn’t, that’s not a great experience. An omni-channel approach accounts for each platform and device a customer will use to interact with your company. That knowledge is then used to deliver an integrated experience. Companies using this technique align their messaging, goals, objectives, and design across each channel and device.

 According to Fortune 500 industrial supplier W.W. Grainger, a successful beast in the omni-channel and e-commerce areas, e-commerce is its fastest growing channel. In 2013 e-commerce was representing 25 percent of its sales online. By implementing a better established omni-channel approach to their already robust e-commerce platform, this figure is now well over 50%.

To achieve an omni-channel approach, manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers need to be prepared to make some changes. For starters, a robust e-commerce channel needs to be fully integrated. Customers are likely to be disappointed if the interactions they've had on one buying channel are unknown to the other channels. According to Vince Esposito, principal at Tompkins International and co-author of a white paper on the topic, "In this age of connectivity, mobility and social networking, distributors will need to focus on adapting to how their customers make decisions and purchases," Tompkins explains. "Multi-channel access may involve branch events by reaching out to customers in new ways; or integrating online and physical operations to leverage the access with customers (online order with branch pick-up or returns, and branch selection with delivery); or partnering with competitors to broaden the selection and availability; or integrating online and/or branch events with social media such as Twitter and Facebook."

You don't have to be "Grainger" huge to implement an Omni-Channel approach

Omni-channel “done well” can reduce labor expenses, increase accuracy, help manage risk, reduce transportation costs, and improve inventory velocity. More importantly, it can retain customers and boost loyalty, in essence "future-proofing" your operations. Implementing the omni-channel experience does not mean you have to be huge like Grainger. The smallest of companies can take steps like offering a mobile and online experience that seamlessly integrate with an e-commerce platform. As long as your customers are receiving the same service no matter where they are, what they are doing, or what device they are using as they do in person, you are on your way to omni-channel success.