Why omnichannel success is driven from within

By ALLISON ZELLER, RESEARCH ANALYST, NRF FOUNDATION | Published: OCTOBER 9, 2013

Be the first to comment | This entry was posted in Events, IT/Operations, Mobile, Retail Companies

Taking a traditional brick-and-mortar retail company – or a small-box retailer with a large catalog focus – into the omnichannel arena is no easy hill to climb. But in today’s rapidly changing retail environment, it’s an expectation that must be met.

In a breakout session at Shop.org’s Annual Summit, Jeff McCall, head of strategy and consulting services at eBay Enterprises, led a discussion on the challenges and successes of this issue with Rolf Schultz, vice president of e-commerce and omnichannel at Academy Sports and Outdoors, and Ted Vasquez, vice president for strategic planning and analysis at J. Crew.

eBay Enterprises’s Jeff McCall (right) discusses strategies for prioritizing omnichannel initiatives with J. Crew Vice President of Strategic Planning and Analysis Ted Vasquez (center) and Academy Sports Vice President of E-Commerce and Omnichannel Rolf Schultz.

McCall set the tone by stressing the urgency of successful omnichannel initiatives with stats that demonstrate the consumer’s expectations from retailers:

• 89 percent expect retail to be able to leverage technology to help them find a product that’s out of stock in the store
• 66 percent expect retailers to provide a good smartphone experience
• 75 percent expect retail to provide a good tablet experience

For Vasquez, the key to introducing a company to new omnichannel ideas and initiatives is a matter of establishing a strategy before establishing the investment. “If the right people are on board with the strategy, they’ll be on board with the investment,” he said. Once this strategic roadmap is in place, Vasquez recommends focusing energy and momentum on one item at a time – and doing it well before moving on to the next item on the “to-do” list.

Schultz recommended a slightly different approach: building a culture around the ideas you want to implement. By identifying the people in your company who are passionate champions of new ideas, you’ll have an easier time putting that strategic vision in place. The enthusiasm will drive the momentum needed to implement the changes.

Regardless of where a retailer is in their omnichannel efforts, these are methods retailers can use to implement the programs and tools consumers expect in their digital lifestyle.

via Shop.org Blog http://blog.shop.org/2013/10/09/why-omnichannel-success-is-driven-from-within/