Retailers Still Find It Hard To Cross the Cross-Channel Chasm

 
According to Retail Systems Research, it’s still quite difficult for many retailers to crete consistency across channels. Buying anywhere and getting anywhere seems to be what customers want, but what retailers can’t deliver yet. The approach showing the greatest promise is customer experience.
 

 
Getting everyone on the same page with regard to service design, internal cost structures, decision-making, and making/keeping promises are, in my opinion, the hardest parts to achieving a consistent cross-channel experience. Retailers are very good at sourcing, buying, moving, and displaying products. If they can learn to align their internal efforts to each other around what’s best for the customer, they will succeed more quickly and to a greater degree. As long as the in-fighting continues around whose rule-set wins, the poor service and lackluster profits will continue.

For more detail, check out “Enabling Buy Anywhere/Get Anywhere: The Future of Cross-Channel”, a 2011 Benchmark Report by RSR.

Retail Systems Research offers valuable insights at the intersection of technology, retail, and change. Founded by retail industry veterans Brian Kilcourse, Paula Rosenblum, Nikki Baird and Steve Rowen, they serve a global clientele from the office, in-person, and on-line.