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What Role Can Customer-Facing Devices Play in a True Omnichannel Strategy

Posted by Alex Samuely on Mar 28, 2018

If there’s one retail strategy that most brands have found particularly elusive and difficult to get right, succeeding in omnichannel would likely take top prize. Expanding a retail store on digital platforms – the Internet, mobile web, apps – while simultaneously trying to keep bricks-and-mortar locations thriving isn’t an easy task, but it’s one most brands have had to contend with in the wake of ecommerce’s popularity. Some retailers may not be suited to having their presence be online-only, and others may be searching for ways in which to tempt their in-store shoppers into becoming both in-store and online shoppers—that is to say, true omnichannel customers.

15% of retailers have customer facing devices

A handful of retailers have taken steps toward a true omnichannel strategy. In fact, 15% of stores now having customer-facing devices that offer direct access to the brand’s website, a tactic that can be relatively low-cost, with high revenue potential. In addition to impressing upon customers that the brand has a strong physical and digital presence, customer-facing in-store devices have a slew of other benefits as well.

Greater Selection: In-store tablets linked to the retailer’s website can enable shoppers to discover inventory that may not be available in-store. Perhaps a flagship store in a major city doesn’t have the room to carry the retailer’s entire inventory, or a brand has decided to open a pop-up shop in a new area to gauge customer interest before investing heavily into a permanent space. In any case, customer-facing devices possess the brand’s entire inventory, making up for gaps or limitations in bricks-and-mortar locations.

Inventory Backfill: Similarly, these devices can fuel on-the-spot ordering if an item’s particular size or color is no longer available in that store. A shopper needs a size 10, not 8, and wants to make sure she snags the current sale price? No problem. She can walk over to the tablet kiosk and place the order for the size 10 dress—with free shipping.

Online-Only Features: Customer-facing devices can also act as digital stylists for shoppers. Brands can formulate interactive content for their tablets, such as personality quizzes, that invite consumers to answer a few quick and fun questions, and receive a personalized look in return—complete with directions where to find it in-store. This could be ideal for window shoppers, or individuals looking to beef up their seasonal wardrobes without having specific products in mind.

Although 15% of brands currently employ customer-facing devices in their physical stores, there’s still a massive margin left of those that do not. Omnichannel as a whole may be hard to get right, but building upon smaller strategies such as this one will only position brands higher up the ladder to success.

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