Product Information Management is Key to Omnichannel Success

In times when customers are growing more demanding, and dictating the retail industry, an omnichannel approach allows businesses to keep up. Omnichannel retailing allows businesses to create more meaningful and more consistent customer experiences across every channel. The key to omnichannel success lies in managing business operations and integrating channels to streamline and enhance the customer journey.

Omnichannel Success

The retail world is all about convenience for the customer. Therefore, in order to be successful in this industry, you need to make your customers happy. That’s where omnichannel retailing comes in. Customers want a seamless and effortless shopping experience. An omnichannel strategy means integrating all channels and devices to provide just that. The question is, how does a business integrate these channels to encompass an omnichannel approach to retailing?

Product Information Management

Product information management (PIM) solution allows retailers to navigate the challenges associated with omnichannel. It provides a central location to manage product information and business processes, which makes way for effective selling across many channels.

Product information carries heavy importance in omnichannel retailing. Accurate and timely product information helps instill trust and customer loyalty in the interchangeable and complex world of retail. A powerful PIM solution can increase customer satisfaction, and even profits by helping present product information in a complete, accurate, consistent, and effortless way. PIM optimizes company performance, increases traffic to your store, and reduces supply chain inefficiencies. It also enriches product information with detailed product descriptions, high-res photos, and embedded videos to guide customers toward their purchases.

There are a lot of factors to consider when approaching an omnichannel strategy, but ultimately, product information management is key to omnichannel success. The businesses that adapt and evolve to the changing retail landscape by creating more meaningful and seamless customer experiences will gain a competitive advantage over those who do not.

Tips to Enhance Omnichannel Marketing

Build Hybrid Solutions

The customer may make the buying decision at any point and if you want to benefit from that decision, you should be available at that moment when a decision is made. This means you cannot afford to have only an online store or only a brick-and-mortar store. Almost a decade of e-Commerce has taught us that a perfect solution will be some sort of a hybrid of the two that leaves the choice of where to make the purchase to the customer.

Build for Mobile Users

For a long time, the mobile app was an extension of the website or online store. However, with the explosion of mobile users (most of them on smartphones), you ignore this audience at your own peril. Smartphones allow users to get online at any time – at home, at work or during their commute. It is crucial that whatever solution you build take mobile users into account to maximize your reach and sales.

Get Users to Log In

Your interaction with your customers should be seen as a one-off activity. Instead, you want to be able to build a relationship with your users so that they come back to you with future business. By getting users to create profiles on your site, you will be able to track their browsing and purchasing habits. This, in turn, helps you provide the products and services that they need and are more likely to buy.

Constantly Improve

It would be too optimistic to think that you will get the site right at the very first go. Your store will and must undergo constant improvement to ensure that you are reacting to your customers’ needs. Information from your CRM system will help you tweak the look-and-feel of the site and the products on offer. This is an ongoing process and must be budgeted for in terms of money and people.

As buyers and sellers migrate to the online platform new strategies will have to be developed to ensure that your omnichannel marketing and sales keep up with the demand.