Last updated on April 16th, 2026 at 10:24 am

Retail CFOs are playing a bigger role in technology decisions than ever before. As brands focus on improving margins, reducing complexity, and scaling efficiently, finance leaders are stepping in to evaluate which platforms and partners can actually deliver measurable impact.

It’s no longer just about approving budgets. CFOs are helping shape the tech stack itself.

One area that often gets less scrutiny than it should? Payments infrastructure.

Payments are typically managed through standalone service providers, often selected for reliability, speed, or convenience rather than long-term financial efficiency. But these traditional setups come with trade-offs—rigid fee structures, limited support, and fragmented systems that slow down operations.

There’s a growing case for taking a different approach.

Embedded payments—a model where payments are built directly into a retailer’s commerce platform or point-of-sale—eliminate many of these inefficiencies. By centralizing payment processing alongside core retail functions, retailers gain tighter cost control, streamlined operations, and better visibility into performance.

Here’s why more retail CFOs should reevaluate how their brands handle payments.

1. Reduced Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

Traditional payment models often require multiple vendor relationships, processor-specific requirements, and custom integrations. These expenses quickly compound, especially when duplicated across regions and store formats.

Embedded payments help control these costs by integrating payment processing and commerce functionality in a single platform. This approach reduces implementation timelines, lowers ongoing maintenance needs, and minimizes the operational effort required to keep systems in sync.

The result is a more favorable TCO through:

• Competitive processing rates made possible by multi-processor support
  
• SaaS fee discounts when bundled with the commerce platform or point-of-sale contracts
  
• Lower integration and maintenance costs by removing the need for third-party bridges between point-of-sale and payment platforms

For CFOs focused on driving margin and operational efficiency, reducing TCO through an embedded model is a direct path to measurable financial impact.

2. Simplified Vendor Management 

Finance leaders know that more vendors often mean more complexity—separate contracts, different support processes, and competing SLAs that make it harder to pinpoint issues quickly.

With embedded payments, retail operations and payment processing are managed through a single partner, creating a unified source of accountability. That means:

• One vendor contract for both point-of-sale and payment processing
  
• A single point of contact for onboarding, support, and compliance
  
• Fewer systems to maintain and keep up to date

This consolidation streamlines problem resolution, minimizes administrative overhead, and ensures that critical systems work together seamlessly.

3. Real-Time Financial Visibility

Siloed payment systems create friction for retailers, making it difficult to get a clear, real-time view of financial performance. Slower reporting, longer reconciliation cycles, and inconsistent data can all undermine decision-making.

Unified commerce depends on seamless data integration, and embedded payments make that possible.

By capturing payment data within the same system used for sales, returns, and order management, finance teams can:

• Access unified reporting across all channels and locations
  
• Reconcile faster with fewer manual processes
  
• Monitor real-time performance trends to spot opportunities or issues quickly

This level of visibility enables faster, more informed financial decisions, helping CFOs act with confidence.

4. A Payments Strategy Built for Growth

Growth in retail—whether opening new stores, entering new markets, or increasing transaction volume—comes with added payments complexity. Regulations differ by country, consumer payment preferences evolve, and processor economics can vary widely.

An embedded payments model offers the flexibility to adapt without requiring system overhauls. It provides:

• Multi-country capabilities with built-in compliance and tax handling
  
• Localized payment options like Tap to Pay on iPhone and mobile wallets
  
• Multi-processor support to secure optimal pricing and flexibility by region

By embedding payments directly into the commerce platform or point-of-sale, retailers can scale confidently, knowing their payments infrastructure is built to support both today’s operations and tomorrow’s ambitions.

Final Thoughts

Retail CFOs are being asked to do more with less, and the right technology stack plays a crucial role in meeting this mandate. While most finance leaders already think strategically about how their brands handle transactions, many haven’t considered the benefits of working with a point-of-sale vendor that offers an embedded approach.

This model represents a smarter way to manage payments—one that improves total cost of ownership, simplifies operations, and gives finance teams the control and visibility they need.

For retailers using a unified commerce platform, it’s not just a nice-to-have—it’s a logical next step.

To learn more about how embedded payments can improve your bottom line, request a demo.

Last updated on April 16th, 2026 at 10:48 am

As retail brands strive to differentiate themselves from growing competition, the importance of offering memorable in-store shopping experiences continues to rise. While some consumers may prefer to complete all of their shopping on digital channels, brands should still aim to connect with in-store shoppers by offering them personalized experiences they would not receive elsewhere. One method of achieving this involves leveraging an omnichannel point-of-sale (POS).

In this article, we cover the omnichannel POS features that are fueling more interactive shopping experiences.

Table of contents:

• What Is an Omnichannel POS?
• Traditional POS vs. Omnichannel POS
• 6 Benefits of an Omnichannel POS
• How an Omnichannel POS Fuels Sales for Footwear Brands
• Omnichannel POS: A Retail Staple for the Future

What Is an Omnichannel POS?

An omnichannel POS is a modern retail solution with features and functionality that support various sales channels, including brick-and-mortar stores, online stores, mobile apps, and any other touchpoints where customers interact with a business. This system allows brands to manage sales, inventory, and customer data across all channels seamlessly, providing a unified experience for both customers and employees.

Traditional POS vs. Omnichannel POS

A traditional POS is not built to support omnichannel brands. They are typically disconnected from other systems, hard to customize, and make it challenging to integrate new features. Furthermore, they don’t allow brands to capture and utilize real-time data. Today, customers expect highly personalized, convenient experiences, and a traditional POS makes this difficult to deliver. 

On the other hand, an omnichannel POS is built for integrations, unlike its traditional counterpart, and it allows brands to tap into real-time, game-changing data. It’s a complete solution that provides in-store associates with an immeasurable amount of ways to give white-glove service and brands the ability to deliver an overall top-notch experience.

6 Benefits of an Omnichannel POS

An omnichannel POS offers flexibility and convenience, integrating seamlessly with other channels and allowing brands to provide a consistent experience. Below, we discuss the key benefits of the solution.

1. More time with customers

Brands that equip their sales associates with omnichannel POS devices can ensure they spend more time connecting with customers on the sales floor. Having the ability to check inventory on the spot – or facilitate a checkout experience without leaving the shopper’s side – ensures that associates maximize their time with customers. 

Additionally, leveraging omnichannel solutions with inventory visibility helps sales associates find consumers’ requested products at a much faster rate. This translates into shoppers spending less time waiting for their associate to return from the back room and more time engaging with them – and potentially receiving great recommendations for other items to try on.

2. Inventory visibility

Sales associates can tap their omnichannel POS devices to find any size and styling information they need to assist customers without leaving their side. 

Additionally, this capability is especially useful for brands trying to maximize their real estate in stores. Brands with smaller brick-and-mortar locations may want to display only one type of shoe on the sales floor and stow additional styles and colors in the back room. Omnichannel POS solutions can then help associates easily sort through the inventory to find the exact product their shopper is looking for. 

3. Endless aisle transactions

Another benefit of an omnichannel POS and having superior inventory visibility is being able to unlock endless aisle technology. Endless aisle enables staff to access and sell all available products from any warehouse or retail location. In addition to boasting inventory visibility – which lets sales associates view real-time product availability from anywhere in the enterprise – endless aisle also offers customers a slew of order fulfillment options. 

For example, if a shopper visits a brick-and-mortar store and realizes that their preferred shoe style and color is unavailable in their size, a sales associate can leverage endless aisle technology to find another location with that product in stock. The associate can then offer to ship the product directly to the customer’s home or to a nearby store location.

Endless aisle also drives more cross-sell and upsell opportunities, which can increase consumers’ average basket size. By giving sales associates access to the full product catalog at their fingertips, they can browse for complementary items to recommend to shoppers. If a customer is looking to purchase new fashion sneakers, for instance, the associate can use endless aisle technology to see if the store also carries socks in a matching color.

4. Mobile checkout

With this solution, brands can offer mobile checkout. The entire check out process, from scanning products to processing payments, is all completed on a mobile device, which creates a faster, more seamless checkout experience.

Additionally, there’s an aesthetic appeal to using an omnichannel POS for mobile checkout. Rather than having customers see a clunky checkout counter, an omnichannel POS device adds a clean, modern vibe to the checkout and store experience.

5. Personalized analytics

As consumers grow more comfortable sharing personal data, such as their height and weight, in exchange for receiving personalized product recommendations and experiences, brands can adjust their omnichannel offerings accordingly. With personalized data, brands can take their customer service and clienteling efforts to the next level, cultivating loyalty over the long-term.

6. Convenience of modern technology

In contrast to a traditional POS system, an omnichannel POS facilitates regular software and feature updates, promoting agility. Further, deploying an omnichannel POS incurs lower upfront costs, as it only requires a mobile device, eliminating the need for bulky hardware units. All software resides on the mobile device, streamlining operations and avoiding potential hardware removal down the line.

How an Omnichannel POS Fuels Sales for Footwear Brands 

In-store shopping still maintains its allure, especially for apparel and footwear products, where the personalized nature of trying on products is still important. In particular, footwear brands are finding omnichannel POS solutions helpful when it comes to equipping sales associates with important customer data and information to find best-fitting products. 

From giving associates mobile devices to facilitate easy checkout experiences on the sales floor to deploying technology that scans shoppers’ feet to identify the best style of shoe for their needs, the opportunities for driving customer loyalty – and sales – are vast with an omnichannel POS.

For instance, innovative scanning technology can now analyze shoppers’ feet with precision, identifying not only the correct size but also the ideal style and fit based on individual preferences and biomechanics. This not only enhances the customer experience by ensuring a perfect fit but also minimizes the risk of returns, thus optimizing operational efficiency and reducing costs.

Additionally, because of the depth of inventory in footwear – there are so many size, width, and color combinations – it’s critical for brands to be able to access and sell inventory from all locations. This is true for buying online and fulfilling in-store as well as buying in-store and fulfilling from another store through endless aisle. Without an omnichannel POS, brands wouldn’t have this flexibility or the ability to maximize sell-through rates.

When store associates are armed with invaluable customer insights and inventory information, they can offer personalized recommendations and assistance, effectively turning each interaction into an opportunity to deepen customer relationships and drive sales.

Omnichannel POS: A Retail Staple for the Future

As the retail marketplace grows more crowded – and brands attempt to reach more global audiences – leveraging an omnichannel POS solution will be critical to success. The ability to tap into features like inventory visibility, endless aisle, and store fulfillment options will enable brands to create more personalized shopping experiences while increasing the likelihood of driving sales. 

Ultimately, consumers dictate the direction of the marketplace – and they increasingly want more experiences with a blurred line between digital and physical shopping channels. To meet the needs of their digitally savvy shoppers, retail brands should invest in a holistic platform that can seamlessly manage inventory, customer data, order fulfillment, product information, and more – and that’s an omnichannel POS solution.

Brands with an omnichannel presence enjoy a higher compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in market share, as discussed in our Guide to Creating an Omnichannel Strategy. 

Interested in finding out how your brand can use an omnichannel POS to transform the customer experience? Speak with one of our experts today.

Last updated on December 16th, 2024 at 09:04 pm

As retailers prime their omnichannel strategies for 2024 and beyond, three takeaways from NewStore’s annual Omnichannel Leadership Report should remain top of mind: brands must offer more omnichannel capabilities, invest in native mobile commerce apps, and embed more digital features into their stores.

While an increasing number of retailers have embraced omnichannel strategies over the last few years, they still face opportunities for improvement – especially when it comes to bridging the gap between their physical and digital shopping experiences. NewStore’s 2024 Omnichannel Leadership Report surveyed nearly 700 retail brands’ omnichannel capabilities across three unified shopping channels: mobile apps, online, and stores. The research found that brands must work on enhancing their in-store, online, and mobile offerings by connecting all three of these channels to create a cohesive, customer-centric shopping experience.

Read more about the top takeaways from the report below, and find out how your business can take actionable steps to develop a unified commerce strategy spanning all retail channels.

Takeaway #1: Brands Aren’t Maximizing Omnichannel Capabilities

While some retailers have fully leaned into omnichannel transformations, many are still not leveraging omnichannel strategies to their fullest potential. The report found that brands scored an average of 43 out of 100 when it came to taking advantage of available omnichannel solutions. This indicates that brands are missing opportunities in effectively linking their mobile, online, and physical shopping journeys.

If retailers want to undergo a true omnichannel transformation that results in customer-centric experiences – and builds long-term brand loyalty – they must start by considering several key strategic elements:

• Impact to the customer: The goal of undergoing a transformation is to improve the experience for the end user – in this case, the customer. Therefore, retailers should put themselves in their shoppers’ shoes and think, “What’s in it for me?” and “Which omnichannel features would I benefit from?”
• Changing teams’ mindsets: For a transformation to succeed, all parts of the organization must row in the same direction. Each department will play a critical role in rolling out new omnichannel features, which makes it imperative that everyone aligns on the vision and owns their part of it. 
• Focusing on in-store experiences: If a retailer has a brick-and-mortar footprint, the in-store experience may serve as the customer’s first touchpoint with the brand and set a lasting impression. For instance, if the retailer sells consumable goods, it can offer tastings in stores to entice customers and then later follow up with tailored product recommendations over email.
• Making technology invisible: Omnichannel technology should seem invisible to customers when they’re shopping in stores. Whether a sales associate with a mobile device is reviewing available inventory or a shopper is checking out via a self-service kiosk, the experience must appear seamless. And to build a deeply connected commerce ecosystem and develop better customer relationship management, it’s crucial to partner with the right technology vendors.

Creating a robust omnichannel strategy relies on many elements of organizational change. Read about how top retailers have mastered the art of omnichannel transformation and the lessons they’ve learned along their journeys.

Takeaway #2: Retailers Should Invest More in Mobile Commerce 

Although today’s consumers are more reliant on their phones than ever, many retailers’ mobile commerce capabilities haven’t evolved as much as shoppers would like. Brands with dedicated mobile shopping apps remain in the minority, and even those mobile-first shopping experiences often don’t boast the latest features to facilitate a smooth customer journey. 

The Omnichannel Leadership Report discovered that only one third of brands have a native mobile shopping app, with very few of them having invested in promoting the app. Additionally, most of these mobile apps don’t include interactive features, exclusive content, or built-in rewards programs. Even fewer apps contain capabilities like wishlists, inventory checkers, and live chat – all of which can help drive usage.

According to Statista, mobile commerce sales are expected to account for 62% of all ecommerce transactions by 2027. This makes it essential for brands to up their mobile commerce game – and their starting point should be a native shopping app.

Several outcomes of having a native mobile app include:

• Reaching customers where they are: Data.ai’s State of Mobile 2022 report found that many people spend one third of their time awake looking at their mobile device. Consumers also spent 100 billion hours in shopping apps, which underscores the unparalleled convenience of browsing and buying on mobile devices.
• Direct-to-consumer sales become easier: If a retailer wants to sell directly to consumers and bypass brick-and-mortar stores and wholesalers, a native app is the easiest option. Brands can leverage push notifications and personalized content to connect with their target customer – with minimal advertising needed.
• Increased conversions: Since mobile apps typically deliver less clunky experiences than a mobile site, consumers may spend longer amounts of time browsing, without encountering unnecessary pop-ups and ads. If they make an account for the app, it will also remember all of their information and provide a faster checkout experience. As a result, users may be less likely to abandon their carts.
• Customizable features: Retailers that build their apps from the ground up can choose from a slew of customizable features that will foster better connections with customers. These can include creating lookbooks for apparel and accessories, built-in loyalty programs with redeemable points for special perks, and free shipping just for app users.

To discover more ways your brand can boost mobile commerce sales, read all 7 Reasons Why You Need A Shopping App.

Takeaway #3: Stores Need Additional Digital Features

To stay competitive, retailers must embed more digital features into their brick-and-mortar stores. According to the report, buy now, pay later checkout options are only offered in a third of stores. The same statistic applies to stores that equip their sales associates with mobile devices to assist shoppers as they browse. If retailers want to increase foot traffic in their stores and appeal to time-strapped customers, they must find strategies to bridge the gap between their digital and physical experiences. 

If done right, the potential rewards – like increased sales, competitive differentiation, smoother customer experiences, and adaptability for shoppers to engage with brands on their preferred channels – are massive.

Several of NewStore’s top ways to create an omnichannel strategy include:

• Auditing current channels: Map out all your existing channels (including website, store, mobile app, email, and social media) and try to identify any gaps in communicating with customers, especially with those who prefer to toggle between online and physical shopping platforms. 

Afterward, brainstorm the ideal customer journey and consider adding new omnichannel features to connect online and brick-and-mortar shopping experiences, whether that’s offering ship-to-store pickup options or adding mobile checkout capabilities in stores.

• Combining digital and physical experiences: A strong omnichannel strategy ensures that shoppers can start their journey on one channel and end it on another. To better bridge the gap between physical and digital shopping experiences, retailers should offer features like BOPIS (buy online pick-up in store) and universal shopping carts that let consumers add to their carts from any channel. 

Other valuable omnichannel features include inventory visibility, which allows sales associates and customers to view real-time product availability across all retail locations, and clienteling, which gives staff access to valuable customer data that can help increase shoppers’ average basket size.

• Examining your retail ecosystem: To ensure brands are equipping sales associates with the best technology to drive sales and personalize customers’ experiences, they should consider investing in an order management system, mobile point-of-sale (POS) solutions, and customer relationship management platforms.

The best part about creating an omnichannel strategy? It’s completely customizable, which forms the basis for composable commerce: giving companies the opportunity to select from a variety of vendor and commerce options that work best for them.

More Takeaways: BOPIS, BORIS, and BNPL Gain Traction

The modern omnichannel experience now counts BOPIS and BORIS (buy online return in store) as key components. While many shoppers prefer the ease of making purchases online, the convenience of retrieving their items or returning them in a brick-and-mortar store is still important. According to the Omnichannel Leadership Report, 60% of retailers’ websites offer BOPIS options, while 68% offer BORIS capabilities. 

Buy now, pay later (BNPL) also experienced adoption growth – 69% of websites now offer this short-term financing option to customers. 

Other parts of the commerce ecosystem that continue gaining popularity include loyalty rewards and free shipping. Not only do loyalty programs foster longer-lasting relationships with consumers, but they also provide retailers with more personal data to improve shopping experiences – and drive higher sales. In fact, over 80% of consumers claim they would provide more personal data in exchange for a better customer experience.

One increasingly important factor of the customer experience is free shipping. With Amazon – and its one- and two-day shipping options – capturing a large portion of the ecommerce marketplace, retailers must stay competitive by also offering free shipping. However, even free orders should arrive within three business days to meet consumers’ expectations.

Research in the Omnichannel Leadership Report found that 87% of websites offer free shipping in North America and internationally, with two-thirds of brands requiring a minimum purchase threshold to receive the free shipping perk. 

For retailers breaking into new markets and working to retain existing customers, offering loyalty programs in addition to free and fast shipping options will become must-have omnichannel strategies. 

The Case for Unified Commerce

Ultimately, omnichannel shopping will continue its rapid growth trajectory, especially as brands attempt to reach untapped markets and compete with today’s ecommerce behemoths. The biggest indicator for omnichannel success is implementing a unified commerce system that reaches shoppers on all platforms and offers a seamless customer journey, regardless of the starting point.

Brick-and-mortar experiences are still a pillar of the retail ecosystem, and brands must work to bridge the  gap between their physical and digital channels. The good news? The options are vast – and retailers can cherry-pick the vendors and solutions that best fit their needs to create a robust omnichannel strategy that will cement their stake in the marketplace.

Download NewStore’s 2024 Omnichannel Leadership Report for a deeper dive into these takeaways, and speak with one of our experts about choosing the right omnichannel solutions for your business.

Last updated on March 23rd, 2026 at 10:52 am

Establishing long-term customer loyalty is at the top of every retailer’s wish list. To achieve this, retailers should segment their customer relationship management frameworks by regional audience and pinpoint what their loyalty objectives are trying to solve for. Not only will this help them stand out in the competitive marketplace, but it will also drive greater customer retention.

Gianfranco Cuzziol, International CRM and Personalization Lead for Natura & Co’s Avon brand until February 2024 (and current Business Lead at Dr. Martens), recently discussed the thought process behind developing a global customer relationship management (CRM) framework during an Endless Aisle podcast episode with Marcus LaRobardiere, NewStore’s Vice President of Marketing. Gianfranco and Marcus also defined various types of customer loyalty – including advocacy and retention loyalty – and addressed how those impact consumers’ long-term relationships with brands.

Read below for several key takeaways from Marcus and Gianfranco’s conversation, and click here to listen to the full podcast episode.

Creating a Global CRM Framework 

As the global marketplace grows more crowded, retailers must evolve their CRM frameworks to better reach audiences around the world. According to Gianfranco, retailers should begin this process by developing a common framework and then allowing teams in regional markets to adapt the framework according to their specific needs.

“There is often a need to say, ‘Look, let’s draw a line under this,’” Gianfranco said. “Let’s create this common framework across the globe so we’re protecting the brand. Then, we’ll bring you all up to a certain degree of maturity [to] understand the way we do CRM, automation, personalization…

“That allows you to have some flexibility within the framework to deliver to your requirements, because you have your own objectives, depending on the business unit or the market you’re sitting in.”

This results in retailers needing to create segmentation models based on how customers in various parts of the world prefer to shop.

“We created this segmentation model and a customer lifetime value model for the globe,” Gianfranco said. “But it became apparent that having a global customer lifetime value model didn’t really work. 

“The way that customers transacted and shopped in the far east was completely different to how they transacted in Australia. We then had to drill down and provide a segmentation model that was fit for purpose for each of the four regions.”

CRM Implementation with Cultural Differences

A key piece of developing a strong CRM framework stems from incorporating cultural nuances and ensuring that regional teams understand the rationale behind all decisions.

“Part of the new tech vision data implementation also involved a certain amount of cultural work,” Gianfranco said. “We needed to make sure that we took the regional retail and marketing teams – and digital teams – along the journey, and make sure they were fully bought into that vision. 

“We had consultants in store who were slightly reticent about collecting customer information,” he continued. “So we needed to go through a training exercise to prove to them that there was value in collecting a customer email address and name.”

If sales associates understand the objective behind each step of the framework – and how it impacts them personally – they will be much more likely to develop better customer relationships, which in turn will drive stronger customer loyalty to the brand.

“The welcome journey we implemented was from the store you made your first purchase in,” Gianfranco said. “We want you to have that relationship with the store, if not the consultant as well.

“You spent that time converting that prospect into a customer, and we want to reward you by making sure the customer comes back to you. We did the very simple thing of saying, ‘We can prove to you that for a customer for whom we have an email address, here’s the incremental value it brings back to the business, and hence to your store, by you collecting that.’ And so there was part of that cultural education piece we needed to deliver.”

Defining Customer Loyalty

In addition to developing adaptable CRM frameworks, retailers seeking to prioritize retention should focus on fostering long-term customer loyalty. Part of this strategy includes defining the end goal of driving customer loyalty – whether it’s trying to increase customers’ average basket size, creating brand advocates that will spread the word among friends and family, or retaining existing customers with retail promotion strategies.

“[There are] many definitions of what loyalty is,” Gianfranco said. “It doesn’t matter which organization you work in – try and work out what you mean by loyalty and identify what loyalty means to your customer. [As an example], there’s behavioral loyalty. I shop every day at my local mini-mart. I’m not necessarily loyal to them; it’s just that they happen to be about 50 yards from my house.

“And then you’ve got advocacy loyalty,” he continued. “If you come up to me and say, ‘Would you recommend a BMW as a car,’ I would say yes. I don’t own a BMW, but I have owned [a] BMW, and it’s an amazing driving experience. 

“And then there’s retention loyalty [where] lots of freebies come my way. You need to make sure you think about loyalty, what it means, and whether you’re trying to drive loyalty, [or] whether in reality what you’re trying to drive is more frequent purchase.”

Developing Customer Personas

Gianfranco also noted that developing customer personas yields better personalization opportunities. A customer persona refers to an archetypal profile of a target customer, complete with behaviors, needs, and motivations.

“I think personas have their place and often [are] the starting point to more refined personalization,” Gianfranco said. “For example, when a customer first comes to your website, you know nothing about that customer. You might know where they’ve come from because you’ve tracked where they’ve clicked in from. You start to understand the product they’re looking at. 

“But as you start to acquire data points about that customer, as they spend time on that website, as they perhaps register [for] a newsletter or talk to your agent online – that’s when you can start moving into more sophisticated, relevant conversations with that customer,” he continued.

“[For example], in the beauty space, you’ve bought a cleanser and a toner. Here’s the hydrator that goes along with that. You need to make sure the information you’re giving a customer is relevant to that particular product – how to use it; when you should be replenishing that product; what’s an alternative if it’s not right for you.”

Balancing Customer Personalization with Privacy

While customer personalization is key to attaining and retaining shoppers, it’s also imperative to keep in mind that privacy is a top concern for many individuals, especially as AI in retail continues gaining momentum. Therefore, retailers must be forthcoming about their privacy policies and remain compliant with them in order to maintain customers’ trust.

“There’s this privacy personalization paradox – customers want a personalized, relevant, connected experience, but they also want you to be mindful of their privacy,” Gianfranco said. 

“What I found is that upfront, if you can be as transparent and honest as possible with customers, they’re more likely to trust you with their data. Be consistent with the way you apply that – don’t all of a sudden change the way you use the data without having talked to the customer.”

Connected, Adaptive, and Relevant Shopping Experiences

Gianfranco also discussed the components of an ideal shopping experience, which hinge on retailers’ understanding that all customers begin their journeys with a specific mission in mind.

“With all this data and technology around at the moment, we have to remember that customers are on a mission,” Gianfranco said. “It could be, ‘I want to buy something really quickly. I’m going to do some research. I want to provide some feedback.’ So that’s the core piece we need to think about. What is the customer trying to do, and then how do we spin out the technology data and experience to deliver on that in the way the customer wants?

“I often talk about the ideal shopping experience…I call it CAR,” he continued. “It needs to be Connected, Adaptive, and Relevant. Because the customer’s trying to get from A to B, and that’s what CAR is there for us to do. You have to adapt that experience to meet [their] need.”

Prioritizing Customer Retention

Once retailers determine the type of customer loyalty they’re aiming for, they should then brainstorm strategies to prioritize customer retention. While reaching new audiences should always be a priority, the benefits of fostering long-term relationships with consumers can’t be overstated.

“We should be thinking about retaining customers more – treating our customers better,” Gianfranco said. “There are lots of numbers around how much more expensive it is to acquire new customers than retain an existing one. The one thing to bear in mind is that good acquisition makes good retention. 

“If you nail [retention loyalty], [it] then reduces your advertising costs, acquisition costs,” he continued. “And by nailing that and understanding what makes a good customer, it allows you to be smart in the acquisition space. You spend all that time and effort getting a new customer on board…don’t lose them.”

Interested in learning how your business can foster stronger customer loyalty and drive retention? Speak to one of our experts today.

Last updated on August 5th, 2024 at 01:20 pm

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As consumers’ shopping demands shift and market trends evolve, retailers must scale their omnichannel operations to meet these needs. One key strategy is ensuring inventory management remains a top priority. Effective inventory management provides retailers with valuable customer data and helps mitigate supply chain challenges in a global marketplace.

Mark Engebretson, Global Operations Lead at Faherty Brand, shared several takeaways related to this from his 40-year-plus retail career during an Endless Aisle podcast conversation with Marcus LaRobardiere, NewStore’s Vice President of Marketing. Mark and Marcus discussed why inventory management is important for omnichannel success and how approaching retail with a solution-first mindset yields better results than chasing trends.

Read on for more key insights from Marcus and Mark’s discussion, and click here to listen to the full podcast episode.

Inventory Management’s Pivotal Role in Retail Success

Mark emphasized that retailers should prioritize inventory management and omnichannel capabilities. This allows them to meet consumers wherever – and however – they prefer to shop.

“Your inventory is probably your greatest asset outside of your people,” Mark said. “Managing inventories [is] going to be critical. An omni world is also critical, and folks that aren’t in that yet are going to struggle.

“You have to be lean in your purchasing – and smart. You have to be reactive. And you have to enable tools that will move product where you need it to be, as quickly and as efficiently as possible.”

Better inventory management leads to more inventory visibility. This refers to retailers’ ability to track and manage products’ movement through the supply chain – all in real time. Inventory visibility also gives retailers more accurate data on sales, inventory stock levels, and consumer demand for products.

As a result, brands can make more informed decisions about products they want to stock and better forecast demand for certain items. Additionally, they can mitigate potential challenges around buying too much or too little stock from manufacturers.

Avoiding Supply Chain Challenges

Developing a strong supply chain should be of utmost concern to retailers, especially since omnichannel fulfillment helps them reach customers worldwide. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ 2023 Digital Trends in Supply Chain Survey, many executives are prioritizing near-term supply chain priorities instead of focusing on actions that can yield long-term value. Additionally, only about 33% of executives claim that increasing resilience remains a top priority as they invest in supply chain technology.

“The supply chain itself, as you think of it from end to end, is doing a lot of expanding and contracting,” Mark said. “The problem is the pieces that make up that supply chain – whether it be inbound, raw materials, factory manufacturing, shipping warehouse operations, allocations, shipping, and third mile – all of those are expanding and contracting at different rates.

“So what you constantly have is stuff banging up against each other. And it’s one of the reasons that people are sitting with a ton of inventory – that expansion and contraction happened at different paces. All of that multiple expansion and contraction [is] going to take a while to finally settle down.”

One way in which retailers can increase visibility into their supply chain is by investing in the right inventory management technology. This will enable them to keep track of serialized inventory, simplify product transfers, and seamlessly receive new items – therefore giving staff more time to spend with customers.

Focusing on Solutions Versus Trends

Mark also noted that brands should focus on chasing solutions rather than trends. Retailers should not assume a one-size-fits-all approach for the technologies they choose to integrate into their systems. Instead, they should prioritize the business’s needs when searching for the best technology vendor.

“I’m not trend driven,” Mark said. “I’m problem-solution driven. In terms of our business, I try to run a race backwards. I always go to the finish line first and then run it backwards and figure out what I need to do to get to the finish line.

“So I’m constantly trying to see what we need next and then how we want to solve it. If it turns out that the new technology that’s out there solves it, great. But particularly right now, we need to be focused on our needs and not distracted by the new shiny toy.”

How Inventory Management Drives Better Omnichannel Strategies

Brands seeking to make a bigger impact within today’s competitive retail marketplace must prioritize developing robust omnichannel strategies. Inventory management plays a critical role in driving omnichannel success, as it enables retailers to evaluate and optimize their current systems and processes.

It also helps retailers bridge the gap between their digital and physical shopping experiences. They can leverage inventory visibility to offer real-time product availability across channels, let customers engage in mixed cart transactions, and allow shoppers to use a variety of fulfillment methods, like buy online pick-up in store (BOPIS).

Ultimately, maintaining real-time views into inventory and related data results in better experiences for retail staff and consumers. If brands invest in the right technology to power their inventory management needs, their chances at omnichannel success will significantly rise.

To learn more about how your business can maximize its inventory management capabilities, speak with one of our experts today.

Last updated on August 5th, 2024 at 01:20 pm

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The rapidly evolving digital landscape has significantly impacted the retail industry, making it easier than ever for retailers to reach potential customers worldwide. However, continuing to foster customer loyalty and enhance shoppers’ in-store experiences remain top priorities for many brands.

That’s where the practice of clienteling comes to life – by incorporating human connection into the essence of retail. Kaitlin Gottlieb, Senior Director of Omnichannel at UNTUCKit, emphasizes clienteling’s critical role in building long-term connections between customers and store associates.

What is Clienteling?

Clienteling helps store associates offer personalized shopping experiences by giving them a full 360-degree profile of the customer. Associates can leverage clienteling to message customers on a mobile app and search for a specific shopper in a database. They can also access shoppers’ purchase histories to recommend products they may like, and note customers’ personal preferences – such as sizes and styles – in their digital profiles.

How Clienteling Empowers Store Associates

During an Endless Aisle podcast interview with Marcus LaRobardiere, NewStore’s Vice President of Marketing, Kaitlin discussed the symbiotic relationship between technology and store associates. While today’s world grows increasingly digital-first, particularly for many shoppers, technology should not replace store associates’ roles in assisting with the customer journey. Instead, technology should augment their roles. Equipping in-store staff with the right technology solutions will provide additional opportunities for personalizing the shopping experience for each individual.

Read below for several key insights from Marcus and Kaitlin’s conversation, and click here to listen to the full podcast episode.

How Clienteling Fosters Better Customer Connections

As retailers consider strategies to boost in-store traffic, leveraging clienteling should be a priority. Clienteling helps bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds by offering store associates valuable customer data that they may not obtain as easily without the help of technology.

This data then facilitates more personalized in-store interactions with shoppers, which could result in greater brand affinity and more sales. As an example, store associates can leverage data from customer profiles to cross-sell or upsell products that the customer may not have initially considered.

“Clienteling is fostering relationships and all about getting them back,” Kaitlin said. “And so associates [are] able to not only engage with customers that they connect with, continue to text them, but influence and inspire them across all different product categories – perhaps for another family member or friend.”

The Intersection of Human and Tech Collaboration

Although many consumers are no stranger to shopping on digital platforms, human interactions are still paramount to retailers’ success. When store associates gain access to the right technology, they can do their jobs more efficiently. This increases employee engagement and reduces the potential for staff turnover.

“The best technology enhances the store associate’s role and allows them to focus on [being] beneficial in that face-to-face contact,” Kaitlin said.

Additionally, store associates can collect valuable feedback from customers on digital tools that will enhance their shopping journeys. This could include adding a new feature to a mobile app or improving an existing function. This results in continuous optimization to improve the in-store experience.

How Apps Fuel Collaborative Shopping Experiences

Store associates can also leverage retailers’ mobile apps to further collaborate with customers on creating personalized looks. Some brands enable app users to virtually try on items and receive customized product recommendations. 

“I love that the app for associates oftentimes becomes a collaborative tool with the customer,” Kaitlin said. “It’s almost like you can dive into the product in the fitting room and then [say], ‘Let me show you some inspirational ways to wear it.’ 

“Our products often are easy to flip through those product images to really enhance [the shopping experience]. It’s really easy to pull up the app and demonstrate what this looks like on the model wearing the product and bring it to life that way, in addition to all of the amazing visuals that we have in our stores.”

This type of clienteling can increase customers’ average basket size by helping them create new outfits or garner inspiration for gifts for family and friends.

The Need for Personalized Retail Experiences

Per Kaitlin, customer engagement does not encompass a one-size-fits-all approach. She underscores that retailers must offer personalized experiences that resonate with a slew of customer personas.

She cited Sephora as a prime example of a retailer providing personalized in-store experiences to different types of customers. Those who visit a Sephora store can select a shopping basket in one of two varieties: a black basket that indicates their openness to being helped by a store associate or a red basket that signals a preference to be left alone while shopping.

Other retailers may opt to leverage clienteling to follow up with customers via text or mobile app about new inventory they may like or to inform them that their preferred product’s size or style is now available. 

“Not every customer wants to text when they leave the store; it’s not for everyone,” Kaitlin said. “But when you identify, connect, and find that genuine, authentic relationship, it’s natural to want to stay connected.”

How Retailers Can Maximize Clienteling 

Retailers can maximize their efforts to build stronger customer brand affinity via clienteling by embracing a growth mindset and striving for continuous optimization. This extends to technology – such as taking feedback from shoppers about certain app features that would augment their experiences – as well as improving one-to-one human interactions. 

Brands should obtain a clear focus on specific challenges or needs they are trying to address and be willing to innovate – even when it’s risky. And if they experience failure, they can treat it as a learning experience that will fuel faster growth in the future.

Ultimately, retailers can foster more loyalty with consumers by leveraging technology’s massive reach while remaining rooted in key elements of human connections – such as personalized interactions and consistent communication. This type of approach to developing a unique customer journey not only builds brand advocates among individual shoppers, but it may extend to their friends and family as well.

“One customer has a great experience – you’re probably going to tell a lot of your friends and family about that experience,” Kaitlin said.

Interested in learning how your business can use clienteling to enhance the customer journey? Speak with one of our experts today.