Which Omnichannel Retailing Services Need Improvement?

Overall, pick up in-store options are popular among consumers

April 28, 2016 | Retail & Ecommerce

Retailers in North America offer a variety of omnichannel services, like buying items online and picking them up in-store. And while these services are available, many believe there&rsquo s room for improvement, according to December 2015 research.

Boston Retail Partners, Manhattan Associates, Aptos, Demandware, Omnico and UTC Retail surveyed more than 500 retailers in North America and asked them which omnichannel retailing services they offer.

Some 18% of respondents said they offer buy online and pick up in-store services that are available and working well. Nearly a quarter of retailers, however, said that the buy online and pick up in-store service is available, but needs improvement. Others are not currently offering the service. For example, 20% of retailers surveyed said that buy online and pick up in-store will be available within the year, and 14% of respondents said it will be available in one to three years.

Omnichannel services like accepting returns across channels, inventory visibility across channels and special order from any channel are also offered by retailers. However, many believe there&rsquo s room for improvement there. For example, 16% of retailers said accepting returns across channels is available and working well. Still, almost half (46%) of respondents said that while the service is available, it needs improvement.

Additionally, while 48% of retailers said that inventory visibility across channels is available and offered, it needs improvement as well.

Generally, pick up in-store options are gaining traction, especially among consumers. Research from King Retail Solutions revealed that more internet users across nearly all demographics like to purchase products digitally and pick them up in-store compared to a year ago.

And a separate survey from Slice Intelligence found that in-store pickups account for significant ecommerce sales. Indeed, buy online and pick up in-store sales made up almost a third of Sam&rsquo s Club total ecommerce sales in 2015. This purchasing option also made up 22.6% of Kmart&rsquo s total retail ecommerce sales.