Aligning the goals of all teams in an omnichannel company is critical for retailers to seamlessly guide consumers through their shopping experience. That was one of the key takeaways from last Monday’s panel discussion on “Working Cross-Functionally to Create a Cohesive Shopping Experience” at Shoptalk Europe in London. At the retail fair, leading companies in the industry discussed their omnichannel strategies for creating a connected shopping experience.
“The entire business needs to be clear about what the vision for John Lewis is, where it is going and how it will continue to play a role in the lives of our customers,” said Cassandra Bergsland, director of omnichannel at UK department store John Lewis , in the discussion led by retail expert Ken Pilot. To be successful in the omnichannel space, each team must develop their own methods to achieve this vision.
“It’s a way of getting there and making sure teams have KPIs to take ownership of so when they make a decision they know they’re driving that KPI,” added Nicola Thompson, CEO of British homewares and furniture retailer Made.com. “It leads, one way or another, to this overarching goal that everyone shares.”
“Everything is mobile-first…”
Amid a slowing economy, the pandemic has fueled a surge in online commerce and accelerated digital transformation. Mobile, social and new digital platforms like live streaming and the Metaverse are now playing a big part in the customer buying process. “We always start with the mobile experience. Even the physical spaces are designed to provide an interactive experience for customers’ smartphones,” Thompson said of Made.com.
John Lewis also benefited from the switch to digitization, especially with his app. As the company welcomed its customers back to the stores, it made sure to integrate the app into the in-store shopping experience. “We’ve moved our loyalty program to the app, digital first, and we’ve increased in-app sales to about 30 percent over the last year. So we’re going to continue to focus on that,” Bergsland said. Given the variety of digital activities, the connection between the physical stores and the digital brand is still important for a successful omnichannel strategy. “Personally, I would say we shouldn’t consider any channel last. They are all equal. It’s about calculating what they’re doing for customers and what customers expect from the experience,” advises Bergsland, omnichannel director at John Lewis.
Omnichannel is an ever-changing journey that spans multiple touchpoints, which is why it’s important to always start with the customer and build everything around them. “We have to keep evolving. What we have today didn’t exist two years ago and five years ago. So it’s a never-ending journey,” concluded Margaret Breen, Chief Demand and Supply Planning Officer at Dubai luxury retailer Chalhoub Group.
This translated post was previously published on FashionUnited.uk.
Shoptalk Europe 2022 took place in London from June 6th to 8th and brought together more than 3,000 participants from more than 70 countries. Follow further coverage of the event from FashionUnited here.