Shoppers demand retailers provide seamless omnichannel experience

A seamless omnichannel experience is no longer a simple differentiator for retailers, it's a must-have among the new breed of demanding consumers.

by Helen Leggatt

Kibo (a new company created by the merger of MarketLive, Fiverun, and Shopatron) recently released the findings of a survey of 3,000 U.K. and U.S. consumers and found high levels of omnichannel experience across both sets.

'The Digitally Demanding Consumer' reveals that today's shopper is more demanding than ever before. Eighty percent of all respondents, across both countries, prefer to buy online and have those purchases shipped to their home address. Furthermore, two-thirds are less likely to make a purchase from a retailer that does not provide product availability data and a third are less likely to make a purchase with a retailer that does not provide click-and-collect and extended payment options.

Almost a quarter of Americans, and a third of Brits, expect delivery times of two days or less, whilst around four in ten in both countries would prefer click-and-collect options if available. A third prefer same day delivery but don't expect to pay for the privilege.

Kenneth Frank, CEO of Kibo, describes the speed of change in retail as "relentless".

"Embracing modern technologies is especially crucial for retailers and manufacturers looking to compete with the likes of Amazon and other Internet giants setting the digital benchmark," Frank says. "The ability to effectively route orders to match where there's most demand, using a cost-effective cloud-based advanced order management system, is a critical component of any modern retailer or manufacturer's armory. The ability to do this will help ensure customers have no excuse to look elsewhere."