The omnichannel is transforming the way to buy and also the consumer preferences. That customer who liked to go to his favorite store, have close contact with the seller and try products before making the purchase now wants to move between physical and online without any noise. This is what reveals the 2023 Retail Trends Survey, carried out by Opinion Box and Dito. According to the survey, 84% of consumers like physical and online stores to be integrated.
Buy online, pick up in store. Try it on in store, buy it online. Search online, buy in store. The paths taken by the consumer in the digital age are multiplying and gaining new contours as major players are innovating in the service model and betting on the total integration of their channels. And this is not a reality restricted to countries like the United States. In Brazil, omnichannel experiences are also gaining momentum and gaining customer approval.
According to Eduardo Peixoto, CEO of Delage, a company specializing in logistics software, most managers, not just Brazilians, have not yet understood that a sales website is not enough to succeed in this new reality. “There is a need for ‘omni management’, a view that processes need to be redesigned. A new culture must be permeated throughout the company, and a radical transformation is necessary”, he points out.
The survey data prove that there is a new scenario in which companies need to insert themselves. According to the survey, which heard more than 2,000 people, from different social classes and aged over 16 years, 87% of respondents have already researched the price in the physical store and bought it on the internet; 80% have already researched online and bought in a physical store; 78% have already purchased online and picked up at the store; 68% have already purchased at the physical store and asked to have it delivered at home; 43% have already talked to a virtual assistant before buying in the physical store; and 70% have already talked to a physical store salesperson and then purchased via e-commerce.
Another data revealed by the study is that marketplaces are gaining more and more prominence: 90% of survey participants revealed that they have the habit of buying on these large digital channels. The shopping experience via social networks is also growing: 58% have already made a purchase via WhatsApp, 47% have already purchased a product via Instagram; 36% via Facebook; 20% via YouTube; and 10% via TikTok.
In Eduardo’s view, with the various sales channels that are available and should be explored, integrating them into the fulfillment operation, standardizing the operation, has become fundamental. “It is not feasible to have different processes for each sales app, marketplace, or new channel that comes along. The complexity of the sale needs to be managed in a standard, efficient and safe way. Efficiently integrating and standardizing will positively and definitively affect profitability,” he explains.
Personification of experience and the role of technology
The survey also showed that the personalization of the experience makes the difference: 72% of the interviewed consumers expect companies to identify them as unique and know how to capture their interests. And 73% say they prefer to buy from companies that already adopt this attitude. “When arriving at the company, regardless of the source channel, the customer expects to be received and treated according to their needs and preferences. The tools available today allow for this, but few make use of them”, points out Eduardo.
In order to be able to understand their customers in depth, many companies have prioritized technology, an action that is well regarded by the public: 86% of respondents agree that technology helps a lot in the buying process. For Eduardo, the simple use of available technologies can bring enormous impacts. “Its application is not restricted to direct contact with the customer. The technology also allows the buyer of a physical store to receive the same standard of service in all apps or the company’s e-commerce site”, he details.
Eduardo also emphasizes the importance of prioritizing investment in the digitalization of logistics, seeking to organize processes and integrate inventories, stores and deliveries. “It is necessary to understand that the service does not end with the sale, nor with the delivery. Selling has become an ongoing process that never ends. In this scenario, any failure will be unwelcome. On the other hand, any error that is handled proactively and positively can win over the customer. For this, the technology applied to post-sales logistics processes is decisive, he concludes”.
To learn more, just access the website: www.delage.com.br
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