In a recent blog, I talked about why liquor retailers are overhauling their business models to provide convenience, speed and value throughout the end-to-end shopping journey. That is driving a massive shift in how they plan, build and deliver their omnichannel customer experience.
In this blog, we’ll look at how to create the omnichannel experiences that are best for customers and most profitable for you.
Many liquor retailers aren’t equipped to create the shopping journeys now expected by digitally savvy consumers. They have siloed backend systems that are inefficient and costly to maintain and have bolted on digital solutions that don’t easily integrate.
They struggle to meet customer demands for a joined-up retail experience that doesn’t stop when they enter a store.
And they face powerful new competition from delivery and online retailers working hard to prevent people from going into stores in the first place!
If you’re looking for new ways to extend your online experience into stores for unified retail, here are the eight pivotal capabilities you need for a modern customer experience:
1. Digital convenience in stores
The POS used to be the epicentre of the store technology experience. But today consumers expect unlimited access to information and functionality to inform their purchasing decisions, and demand digital experiences inside the store.
Retailers are putting customers in charge of their in-store experience by integrating digital services, such as the ability to look up loyalty points, explore product information and add items to digital wishlists in stores. Shoppable screens provide ‘endless aisle’ capabilities that let customers browse and order from the entire inventory.
2. Stores that amplify the digital experience
Retailers are using the unparalleled knowledge of their store staff to boost digital sales and service by giving in-store teams the tools to connect with shoppers digitally. Live chat enables customer service or in-store teams to solve user queries, and store teams are using social media to share educational content.
Some retailers are going one step further and making use of live chat and virtual appointments to offer ecommerce customers the ability to speak with a store team member in real time. By giving customers product recommendations and helping them build personalised baskets, retailers are achieving high levels of conversions while increasing customer loyalty.
3. Localised pricing and promotions
Retailers are making better decisions about store product assortments, by matching breadth and depth to demand, trends and local demographics. A unified view of inventory gives them total control over their stock to improve efficiency, reduce overall stock, create more satisfied customers and boost the bottom line.
And by customising products, prices and promotions nationally, regionally and even by individual sites, retailers are increasing conversions and maximising profits.
4. Endless aisle for anywhere, anytime orders
With a ‘buy anywhere, fulfil anywhere’ strategy and centralised unified commerce platform, retailers can give customers and staff real-time visibility of inventory, order and customer data across the business. That means customers can see the availability of products in their local stores, order via mobile apps or online for click-and-collect and, where regulations permit, order any product and get it delivered to their preferred address.
5. Flexible omnichannel fulfilment
Consumers now make purchasing decisions based on shipping costs and timings. And they want the right level of visibility, communication and tracking, no matter the fulfilment solution.
Retailers are prioritising capabilities that help them to launch and scale omnichannel experiences faster by improving store fulfilment efficiency and enhancing the store pick-up experience. They’ve created hybrid stores that support the rise in online sales while meeting customers’ expectations for fast pick-up and delivery. They’re introducing ship-from-store capabilities that not only enable ecommerce orders to be shipped from stores, but stores can also ship orders placed in other stores. And with a unified view of inventory for endless aisle across all stores and DCs, they can quickly see where inventory is located and the fastest route to fulfil orders.
6. Unified employee experiences
A great customer experience hinges on a great employee experience. After years of underinvestment and continuing worker shortages, many retailers are playing catch-up by making employee efficiency and enablement a top priority. They’re giving their in-store teams access to relevant customer intelligence - such as loyalty rewards, wishlists and sales histories – to equip them to add more value to their customer interactions.
Some are using AI technology to provide personalised upselling recommendations during click-and-collect pickups. And localised pricing gives their teams up-to-date, competitive pricing and empowers them to make better, on-the-spot decisions.
7. Self-service to fuel growth
In tandem with the new digital experiences inside stores, retailers are modernising their checkout experience so that customers can transact on their terms. They’re putting customers in control with fast and flexible self-guided assistance, mobile point of sale and contactless payments wherever the customer is in the store, and at events, trade shows and pop-up stores.
While self-serve kiosks are practical solutions for large stores and supermarkets, liquor and convenience retailers are taking advantage of new self-service apps that can be deployed on any touchscreen terminal, making it simple to create fast and memorable experiences. Positioned on store counters next to POS terminals, these solutions remove the risk of theft or sales to underage customers by ensuring that store staff can quickly and easily verify IDs, audit to avoid losses and assist when required.
8. Unified channels strengthen personalisation
With more buying journeys beginning online, and store visits become more predetermined, customer expectations for a frictionless ‘one brand’ experience are rising. However, many retailers have channel silos that mean any interaction or activity that the customer had with them online is not available to the customer or staff within the store.
Retailers are delivering personalised experiences by using AI and intelligence across online and offline channels to deliver timely and relevant communications, recommendations, offers and loyalty rewards across in-store and digital touchpoints, including the point of sale, mobile app, web, email and social. Some are extending these personalised recommendations into other communications with customers, such as e-receipts and shipping notifications.
If you’d like help to create distinctive and frictionless customer experiences across all physical and digital channels, get in touch. We’d love to help you develop a unified customer journey.
Want to deliver every customer a personalised, fast and seamless experience?
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