When it comes to online sales many brands with an established retail network are hesitant. Especially if that in market retailer performs value added benefits such as assembly or post-purchase support/service. The retail channel represents the bulk of their revenues and starting to compete with your customers is like biting the hand that feeds. Yet the retail battleground to win over consumers is now based on convenience, customer service, and experience. 95% of consumers expect brands to have the ability to sell online, not having an eCommerce presence simply is not an option.
The brick and mortar retail channel still represents over 90% of all retail sales. Even the vast majority of online sales come from retailers with physical stores. So how does one start to go about selling online and not competing with their retail channel partners, not to mention drive high calibre sales reps away? Online sales and physical retail sales channels have always been viewed as two separate verticals, until now.
Rather than competing online, the rise of omnichannel software for branded manufactures to partner online with retailers is the dawn of a new form of eCommerce. What exactly is omnichannel? It is the cross-section of many devices (desktop, laptop, mobile) with numerous online channels (social media, stores) and yes, physical retail. The multitude of touch points at retail gives consumers more choice and flexibility as to how and when they want to shop in a phygital (physical and digital) world. As a result, the plethora of options leave many brands confused, and requiring a solution to straighten out the tangled mess required to optimize all sales channels. With these new software tools, manufacturers can begin selling online by including their retailers into the online channel as an alternative shipping method.
Brands can now sell in and sell through a retail partners inventory without the consumer ever leaving the manufacturer’s website. By utilizing a clicks to bricks strategy manufacturers can eliminate the perceived channel conflict and improve the ease in which its products are made available to consumers. The future of retail is here and it requires closer collaboration online between manufacturers and its retail partners. Tight integration between partners in the sales channel will create the ultimate buying experience and everyone in the channel wins.
Other Reading:
Consumers Want the Best of Online & Offline Shopping
