Retail moves from omnichannel to omnibusiness

Contrary to what everyone feared a decade ago, the digital channel is not competing with physical retailing. On the contrary, they have become inseparable, as the Covid-19 crisis clearly revealed. It also highlighted the urgent need for them to coexist even more closely. Each channel must participate in the other's performance and cease to exist in silos. The quest for a unified business has begun! 

Digital takes over... What's next?

The pandemic has accelerated the transformation of many sectors, especially retail. While some retailers are now in dire straits, others have taken advantage of this special moment to set up essential digital solutions in record time: e-commerce sites, click & collect, drives, etc. These measures have enabled them to limit the losses linked to the closure of their network of physical stores.

As a result, shopping options that combine on and offline experiences have multiplied and continue to do so. What now seems obvious is that a retailer can no longer limit itself to just 1 or 2 siloed distribution options. It has to make itself as accessible as possible.

And while some brands are choosing to invest more heavily in digital channels, such as Zara, which plans to inject 2.7 billion euros into its digital tools, all analysts agree that physical retailing is not going to disappear tomorrow. On the contrary, it will have to undergo a profound transformation.

Available on the Web, visible in-store!

This retail revolution requires a perfect mastery of the codes of commerce, both on and offline. Digital signage will help build a seamless customer journey, providing the essential link between the physical and digital worlds. On in-store screens, brands can share their social network content, as well as customer favorites posted on Instagram, for example. From a place of sale, the boutique becomes a place of life, entertainment and, above all, experiences.

In this context, the showroom concept is bound to grow in importance. More and more stores will limit their stock and offer customers the opportunity to try on items but place orders online. This is already the case for Canadian technical clothing brand Canada Goose. In its stores, customers can test their outfits in real-life conditions in a cold room before ordering them on the website. They leave the store empty-handed, but with their purchases made!

And this model is not the monopoly of the big fashion brands. Saint-Maclou, for example, has recently entered town centers with a small store concept in which consumers cannot leave with their merchandise, but come to touch samples, scan them via an RFID chip to visualize them in 3D in the universe of their choice, and even virtually match them with other references from the catalog.

Post-covid, innovation continues and accelerates

This convergence of distribution channels will boost innovation and creativity within brands. All the more so as there is a real need to reinvent ourselves, and the current crisis is accelerating this phenomenon. The spread of telecommuting will inevitably have an impact on store traffic, and while confinement may seem a long way off, barrier gestures are more topical than ever. Faced with consumers' legitimate fears of coming into the store, retailers are getting organized. Leroy Merlin has set up a service collection point outside the store, without contact . Brico Dépôt and Castorama have added the possibility of drive-through pick-up from the parking lot, while Seat and Ford deliver cars directly to customers' homes on request. Last but not least, Jacadi has introduced in-store appointments for secure, personalized shopping.

In the end, this crisis presents us with an opportunity to finally achieve the unified retailing we've been talking about for so many years. To achieve this, brands need to ensure that the strengths of each sales channel serve the performance of all. No more compartmentalization between physical and digital retailing. Retailers need to organize a permanent ping-pong between the two, which will serve omnibusiness and therefore their performance.

To enhance your customers' brand experience, you can invest in marketing digital as well as in-store digital tools, such as digital signage for retail. Displays are just one of the many channels that can help you deliver your messages with power and impact. Contact us for a free demonstration of our intuitive, collaborative digital signage solution.

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