The name of the game in retail today is omnichannel, and endless aisle is a key piece to any omnichannel offering. It’s critical to create an incredible and unified shopping experience for your customers regardless of whether they’re online or offline.

Every retail brand on the planet is either trying to optimize their current systems, and they’re actively taking strides toward purchasing or rolling out a complete–and associate friendly–omnichannel offering.

Keep reading to learn how an endless aisle omnichannel strategy can support your omnichannel retail brand.

What Is Endless Aisle?

Endless aisle is a term for ordering out of stock or unavailable items for in-store customers. Retail brands can increase sales and customer satisfaction by enabling store associates to fulfill orders for items at other store locations or distribution centers.

Given the convenience and business benefits, you’d think that this would be more prevalent amongst retail brands. However, in NewStore’s 2023 annual research report we found that only 54% of brands offer endless aisle and 31% show store inventory availability online.

Example of how a retail brand can use endless aisle

Consider this. A customer visits a ski store seeking a specific model of ski boots. Finding the desired size and color are unavailable in-store, a sales associate uses a point of sale device to access the endless aisle.

The digital catalog showcases the entire ski product range, enabling the customer to order the exact boots they want. The associate then processes the order, and the customer opts for home delivery. Endless aisle saves the sale and satisfies the customer, while optimizing inventory management.

Let’s take a deeper dive into why it’s important that omnichannel-aspiring retail brands look to roll out endless aisle capabilities.

What Are the Benefits of Endless Aisle?

Endless aisle offers several benefits that positively impact both retail brands and customers. Below are some key advantages.

Omnichannel shopping cart

One of the biggest advantages retail brands have when they’re a fully functioning omnichannel retail business is the elimination of technological and informational silos. An omnichannel shopping cart eliminates the barriers between in-store and online transactions and provides a single view of the customer, order, and product. It also provides customers with the ability to begin their shopping journey from anywhere, online or in-store.

Operationally, this is a massive advantage because it doesn’t matter if it’s the customer or store associate who adds products to the shopping cart. Either way the transaction will include additional products purchased in-store as well as from other fulfillment locations in the event of an endless aisle transaction.

Increased inventory visibility

Endless aisle ensures that store associates can acquire any out-of-stock items, regardless of location. How? Real-time inventory visibility into the organization’s entire product catalog. With endless aisle, store associates have access to accurate–and real-time–inventory and the visibility to coordinate convenient and speedy delivery for purchases made on the store floor.

While inventory lookup can happen at a traditional point of sale or digital kiosk, store associates armed with mobile devices are able to see inventory levels instantly without leaving the customer’s side, which provides for a more personalized shopping experience.

Save the sale & drive customer satisfaction

A customer must know immediately that they can still acquire an out-of-stock item through your company, otherwise that sale is almost always lost. With endless aisle you never have to worry about a customer leaving your store empty handed and disappointed–every product, color, and size is accessible and ready for purchase. Saving the sale helps retail brands deliver a better shopping experience and elevate in-store sales.

Increased sales 

The quality of the shopping experience today is the ultimate measuring stick for consumers dictating where and, more importantly, how often they spend their money. Retail brands must find ways to win customers and keep them coming back to stay profitable.

Endless aisle helps associates prevent lost sales and, coupled with the ability to access a customer’s profile / omnichannel shopping cart, opens the door for cross-sell and up-sell opportunities.

Brands can leverage endless aisle to increase their profit margins by maintaining the markup for products by selling the available inventory, regardless of location.

For retail brands that have adopted an endless aisle strategy, the endless aisle accounts for up to 10% of their revenue, according to a report by Forrester Research. This is a mix of increased sales along with increased customer loyalty due to their integrated online presence.

With the ability to combine in-store and endless aisle purchases into a single transaction, store associates are able to increase sales totals instantly.

Reduce physical space requirements

With the ability to showcase an extended product range digitally, retail brands can minimize the need for extensive physical shelf space. This reduction in physical space for merchandise allows for more flexible and efficient use of store space. Stores can be smaller or designed to be more open and inviting spaces for customers. Freed-up space can be used for high-impact displays, promotional areas, or even additional services that enhance the overall customer journey.

Less physical space requirements can also cut costs and help retail brands align with sustainable practices. Smaller store footprints contribute to lower energy consumption, decreased environmental impact, and a positive brand image associated with corporate responsibility.

Lower inventory costs

Endless aisle enables retail brands to optimize their inventory with real-time insights into customer preferences and market trends. By efficiently leveraging data analytics, retail brands can prevent overstocking and stockouts, maintaining precise inventory levels. The digital storefront allows for dynamic adjustments, reducing holding times and minimizing associated warehousing costs.

Additionally, a more strategic product assortment, focusing on high-demand items, enhances profitability while lowering the risk of slow-moving inventory. Ultimately, the endless aisle approach empowers retail brands to align their stock with customer demands, fostering cost-effective inventory management.

What Are the Challenges to Implementing Endless Aisle?

One primary challenge to endless aisle involves replacing legacy technology, which can demand a significant investment in infrastructure and often requires brands to navigate complex technological landscapes.

A second challenge revolves around the accuracy and management of data. Maintaining up-to-date and accurate product information across various channels is a complex task. Inaccuracies can result in customer dissatisfaction and adversely impact the overall shopping experience. Omnicahnnel brands must establish robust data management processes to mitigate these risks, emphasizing the importance of reliable information dissemination in both physical and digital settings.

Additionally, the operational logistics of an endless aisle strategy can pose a challenge. Coordinating fulfillment processes requires streamlined logistics to prevent delays and errors.

Endless Aisle for Your Retail Brand

While online retailers pose challenges for brick-and-mortar chains, there will always be a desire for physical locations where customers can make immediate purchases. However, relying solely on in-person sales is no longer sufficient. Endless aisle not only addresses current retail dynamics but positions your company strategically for sustained customer loyalty and prosperity in the evolving landscape. 

Embracing this approach ensures that your brand remains relevant, offering a seamless and comprehensive customer experience that aligns with contemporary expectations and secures a lasting presence in the future retail landscape.

Check out NewStore’s endless aisle omnichannel solution and start saving sales.

Last updated on January 7th, 2021 at 09:48 am

What makes for a good shopping experience? According to PwC, nearly 80 percent of Americans say “speed, convenience, knowledgable help and friendly service.” These are all things consumers expect today regardless of channel. After all, shoppers don’t think in terms of online or offline. They view your brand as one and are focused on what they want now.

Amazon, and ecommerce more generally, are responsible for raising the bar of expectations. Consumers crave immediacy like never before. They will shop around until they find a brand that satisfies their demands for quick and efficient buying, and a seamless pickup or delivery. So, make the experience a joyful one at every touch – whether it’s through technology or interactions with your store team – and you’ve earned yourself a likely loyal customer.

But it’s easier said than done, right? In the “Path to Purchase & Fulfillment” section of our Omnichannel Leadership Report, we looked at how brands are removing friction from the selling and buying process and creating the highest level of customer service. The “Amazon Effect” is real, and many companies are deep in the trenches of evolving their brand offerings to stay relevant and competitive. Even so, our findings suggest there’s still work to be done.

Here are some of the highlights.

Mobile

21% of brands offer endless aisle from a mobile device

57% of brands accept Apple Pay in-store

According to a BRP report, 83 percent of shoppers expect retailers to provide store associates with devices. There is an expectation that these devices have easy access to product and inventory information, both within and outside of the store’s four walls. This speaks to the no-channel mindset of today’s consumers. They don’t care about where the product comes from, as much as they care about getting it.

The majority of brands are not able to fulfill orders from anywhere, though; only 21 percent of retailers are able to sell items to customers from another enterprise location via endless aisle on a mobile device. It’s more common than not, then, that retailers will have to tell shoppers something is out of stock. Save the sale. Empower your associates by giving them access to real-time inventory so they can sell your full product catalog, every time.

Not only do mobile-first customers want convenient store fulfillment options, but they also want friction-free check-out. Apple Pay is a great option, as it is activated on 383 million iPhone devices today. Retailers are catching on – 57 percent of brands offer the convenient checkout option, making it easy to pay with nothing more than a smartphone.

In-Store

26% of brands offer BOPIS

29% of brands perform BORIS

Buy online and pick up in-store (BOPIS) is a cornerstone omnichannel capability. It’s a favorite of shoppers because they can avoid delivery fees and receive purchased items more quickly. However, only 26 percent of brands offer BOPIS as a fulfillment option. This is compared to 18 percent in 2017, which is an improvement but the offering is still far from ubiquitous.

Not offering BOPIS is a huge missed opportunity. The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) found 67 percent of consumers who use BOPIS buy additional items when picking up their order. This was the reality this past holiday shopping season – more foot traffic to stores resulted in more in-store sales. Happy shoppers, profitable retailers.

The more people buy, the more inevitable it is they’ll need to return. It’s a natural part of shopping, and retailers need not resist it. Especially if the purchase is online and the return is in-store. Only 29 percent of brands today allow buy online return in-store (BORIS). Of those who do, 43 percent have a “faux return” process. That is, they accept items in-store but later ship those items back to a distribution center to be processed. The customer isn’t refunded until days later, which makes for anything but a seamless experience.

Industry Leaders

The industry scored a 43/100 in the Purchase & Fulfillment portion of our research, but there are several top performers in this category.

To see who they are and to learn what they’re doing right, download our report today.