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Isn’t it surprising that despite this pressing need to improve the customer experience, many businesses have been slow to adapt? According to a research in 2015, only 20 percent of top 250 brands and retailers were expected to transform their channels and process to a complete Omni-channel experience for their consumers.
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Isn’t it surprising that despite this pressing need to improve the customer experience, many businesses have been slow to adapt? According to a research in 2015, only 20 percent of top 250 brands and retailers were expected to transform their channels and process to a complete Omni channel experience for their consumers. However, in 2016 the market saw a dramatic change in retail shopping and things are still seen to continuously evolve. We have gone from two completely separate online and in-store shopping experiences to various combinations of the two. According to my knowledge, the retail environment was never so dynamic. The price is no longer king and more importance is given to perceptions of value which also includes customer experience, convenience, speedy delivery, customization as well as choice. Haven’t you noticed this evolution too? This evolutionary change is called the “Omni channel experience” and this should be the major focus for several retailers and brands this year in UAE. But, what exactly does Omni channel mean? Let us take a look back on how it all worked back then. A brand or retailer had a store in UAE where they sold their products or services and customers would visit the store only when they needed something. In a few cases, the retailers used to send across flyers where they used to announce their sales and new products or services. A very few also jumped into the bandwagon of ecommerce when online commerce came into existence and sold their products online in their own country. However, there was
no relationship as such between the actual store and the online store. In several cases, they were known to operate completely separate from each other. That is how it all began. Omni channel retailing is nothing but multichannel retailing which focuses on generating a all-in-one consumer experience through any and all shopping channels like mobile, tablet, social media, websites, Google ads, television, radio, post and catalogue. Shoppers anticipate an integrated, shopping experience no matter the chosen channel. Let me explain to you a little in detail, imagine a given scenario where in your retailer already has an idea what you are going to purchase based on your personal experiences. Freaky yet true! When you log on to a website to buy a particular product, you will be prompted with suggestions keeping into consideration certain customizations. The result of such suggestions is a quicker & more efficient shopping experience. Moreover, for retailers this can only involve capturing important information faster and acting upon it sooner than the competitors. This also ensures the synchronization of the sentiments, ideas and thoughts conveyed through social media and various other analyses of in-shop as well as online behavior. though the worlds of offline and online have collided, that is not all that Omni channel means. It is more about providing each customer with seamless experience through the many different channels the consumer has available with them. This includes social media, mobile applications, SMS & more. For example: A potential customer wants to be able to begin their shopping experience in one channel and will be reminded about the same when they switch channels. Let it be about something in the shopping cart, a wish list, or even researching about something on the mobile phones. Here, the retailer needs to provide the potential customer such an experience that will build a strong long-term relationship with them. It is sort of a hard hitting fact where it has been almost 20 years since online stores have launched. Somewhere in the mid 90’s if anyone would shop online, they would barely find a few brands or websites to make a purchase. In the online world, only shops such as Amazon dominated the internet. Once the dot-com bubble burst came into picture, the retail ecommerce sales increased to US $27 billion in 2000 from $15 billion in 1999. By 2002, the ecommerce business started rising, up to $44 billion according to one of the KPMG reports.
Today, the online market is flourished cross-borders between six large markets and it is estimated that they will pass the $100 billion mark soon. In UAE, the ecommerce is known to value more than $2 billion and it expected to make a significant growth in the next 10 years. Bonus: Omni channel will create opportunities for industries trying to get into markets across GCC. To execute a few Omni channel strategies, continuous innovation and updates are necessary. In the UAE, the brands and companies using Omni channel have been exploring the use of technology and social media to engage with customers and potential consumers in unconventional ways. Loyalty programs are nothing but customer’s rewards who have been loyal to a particular brand, product or service. Traditionally, the customer was given a gift card/loyalty card where they could go to the particular store and get it redeemed. However, it is not the same anymore. Today, it is as simple as signing up and logging in where customer wants to make a purchase. All the interactions and previous purchase data is now saved in the customer’s profile. Even when a customer makes a purchase in-store, the same will be recorded in their purchase list with the help of a mobile number or email address. Loyalty programs are known to be the best way to keep of track of customers whether they are shopping online or offline. For example: Assume you have a visitor from a different country, who looked through a number of products, but did not complete the purchase. If that particular person went on a vacation of a country where the store is located, an associate can make the use of the loyalty number and get to know what the shopper’s interest is and provide a better in-store experience.
Customized or personalized SMS’ go hand-in-hand with loyalty programs or even as a standalone subscription. In any case, you can create personalized SMS’ and send it to the consumer in real-time. For example: If a US bases consumer is making a visit to a city where an actual store is available, when they open their text messages, they will find personalized SMS’ indication special offers, in-store details or even the address of the store location.
Mobile shopping in UAE is seen to quickly become the most popular way to make a purchase online. As more and more emerging countries are getting access to the internet, the usages of mobile devices are exploding. In fact, in UAE this is known to be a preferred method of shopping online. If an international customer is visiting UAE and you have an actual store here, the marketers can take the help of iBeacons or Pay pal beacons where in a Bluetooth low energy technology is used. This technology is found in most of the new mobile devices these days, which in turn alerts the marketers about your where about. iBeacons are also known to track the shopper while they are looking for something in the store. This information can be used later when the customer is back at home, through personalized SMS’ or online specials. With more and more choices and empowerment, consumers are seen sharpening their expectations for the ways of experiences that will attract and keep them for a longer time. How nicely a company or brand is positioned to race in this evolving landscape will be determined by how nicely it adapts its conventional business practices and incorporates new capabilities within their country as well as outside it. For now, brands and companies are being challenged as the consumer demand keep fluctuating and increasing with time.
