The omnichannel retail experience has been a hot topic in the industry for the past few years. There are differing perspectives on what it means for a business to take a truly omnichannel approach.
For small businesses, creating an omnichannel experience was once a difficult process that held many companies back from playing on the same field as the larger Fortune 500 corporations. But recent innovations over the last few years have provided access to the same high-quality omnichannel opportunities for both small and big businesses alike. Now that everyone has access to the same technology, how can you take your businesses omnichannel experience to the next level and set your brand apart?
What Does Omnichannel Really Mean for Your Business?
Think of omnichannel as your one-stop shop that provides your customers with multiple checkpoints where they can interact with your business. Some may prefer to engage in-store, while others may opt for the online or mobile route. The goal is to capture customers’ attention by providing a shopping experience that seamlessly translates across each of your business’ online and offline channels.
At the heart of an omnichannel customer experience is providing them with the ability to have the same interactions with your business, regardless of how they want to browse or pay for products and/or services. For a customer shopping online, they should be able to see if you have the same products available in-store. In-store, they should be able to leverage your online services to improve their experience as well.
Replicating the in-store shopping journey online, and vice-versa is the core of what’s made omnichannel play such an important role in the retail industry. Big merchants are using their online channels to make in-store encounters more dynamic by giving customers a digitally-enhanced experience. This includes integrating loyalty program, syncing purchases with customer accounts better and giving better insight into all products and services available at any given time. The best part? An omnichannel approach streamlines how, where and when you can conduct business.
How SMBs Can Scale with an Omnichannel Approach
While all of the above points are obviously good for business, there’s is still one problem some small businesses encounter when they think about executing an omnichannel experience. For small businesses that primarily operate in-store, the concept of overhauling and fully connecting your online business might seem unnecessary. For those who primarily operate online, thinking of how to expand your physical presence is equally as daunting. Where you can be effective in achieving an omnichannel experience is in your payment processing and software services. This is the first, and quickest way, to provide your customers with a better, streamlined method to conduct their business with you.
Whether it’s in your retail environment, your mobile devices (tablet and phone) or your physical point-of-sale, small businesses can integrate the omnichannel experience by having the right payment processing partner to connect all of your business sales, inventory and necessary customer details. This will improve how you’re able to able to conduct sales, communicate with customers about products, and fulfill orders.
Since an omnichannel experience is all about providing the same options, regardless of which channel a customer is using, SMBs can take advantage of this by investing in POS systems that are flexible, scalable and can be taken on-the-go at a moments notice. Innovations across the payments technology landscape have made it more affordable for small businesses to take advantage of the same tools, features, and software that was once reserved for big-business budgets.
Small businesses today shouldn’t be satisfied with relying on outdated systems that don’t communicate with each other. Merchant toolkits are available to businesses of all sizes that allow for better, faster payment processing solutions that help your business far beyond just reconciling your payments needs.
Small business owners must devise an omnichannel strategy that empowers them to tap into rich data to gain insights into the purchasing habits across multiple commerce channels. Having a comprehensive approach provides your company with a better perspective of who your target customer is, what services/products are driving the most sales, and the channels your customers prefer.
Relying on fully-integrated omnichannel solutions allows your business to accept payments anytime, through virtually any device, and also gives your customers peace of mind that they can connect with your business whenever and however is convenient for them. Having multiple ways for customers to engage with and pay for your products or services will streamline credit card processing, get your business paid faster and increase customer loyalty.
Omnichannel is a customer experience that all merchants should be striving for — regardless of size. If you want to get started or need help improving your existing systems, reach out by filling out this form or by giving us a call at 888 638 – 7867 and we’d be happy to help!
