OmniChannel Retail to Boost Sales During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Posted April 15, 2020

In eCommerce, Fulfillment, Inventory Management, Omnichannel, Shipping

Omnichannel Retail or selling across multiple channels and marketplaces, is the only way for brick and mortar businesses to make it through the current Covid-19 Pandemic.

A growth model relying only on a single channel is not sustainable with the current state of the world. Business owners must understand the value add of selling across multiple channels. This is the reason for the current omnichannel boom.

What is Omnichannel Retail?

Omnichannel retail is a multi-channel selling approach that offers a seamless buying experience for consumers across multiple platforms. Consumers may have been used to walking into your brick and mortar store but with the Covid-19 pandemic, that is not going to happen. You need to go omnichannel to survive and maybe even grow once we are out of the pandemic.

Retailers will need to leverage mailed Product Catalogs, Flyers and eCommerce websites for mail, phone and online orders. It’s like going back in time using mail order catalogs. But that channel worked then and will work now too. Retailers will need to allow no contact curbside pickup or no contact home delivery also.

Personalized Brand Experience

Consumers also want a personalized experience with brands. They are eager to connect with brands that promise to offer a seamless, personalized, and safe experience. They want the flexibility to choose where, how, and when to shop. For now, consumers prefer no contact delivery because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Your agent drops off your package at your customer’s doorstep and sends a delivery completed notification email or text, and your customer collects the package at their doorstep. Quick, simple and no contact delivery.

Most Consumers spend a lot of their time interacting with brands on different social networks like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. The ease of shopping in online marketplaces, such as Amazon, Etsy, and eBay, adds to their shopping experience – giving them the option to buy what they want with the benefit of getting it delivered to their doorsteps quickly and with free shipping.

Omnichannel Order Fulfillment

As an omnichannel retailer, it is in your best interest to use an order fulfillment service like Elite OPS that will accept your inventory at their warehouse and then manage your inventory for you. As you sell your products via your different channels, the order fulfillment company picks packs and ships your orders out.

Additionally, retailers can be more productive and save time and money by not having to perform unnecessary back office tasks like order fulfillment and inventory management while focusing on their core business.

Also called a Fulfillment Partner or 3PL, we ensure that everything relating to order processing and fulfillment will be professionally taken care of by us. This includes:

Receiving and Warehousing Your Product
Procurement Services
Inventory Management
Packing and Shipping Supplies
Pick, Pack, and Ship
Reverse Logistics (Processing Returns & Exchanges)
Comprehensive Reporting for Inventory, Shipping, Tracking, etc…

Popular Omnichannel Marketplaces

Amazon, Facebook, Etsy, and eBay are working very hard to attract attention and keep merchants selling on their platforms. Helping merchants sell more effectively will win them more business. More sales for merchants mean big business for these online marketplaces as well.

As more and more marketplaces enter the race to gain the biggest market-share, better technological tools with improved marketing capabilities are coming up to help sellers make more sales. Understanding a customer’s buying decision is critical to maximizing your sales efforts across different marketplaces. It is critical to learn more about the different marketing channels because each channel offers a different way to connect with consumers. Why Do Your Customers Buy from YOU?

For example, if you sell a widely popular item, Amazon, Facebook Marketplace, and other international online marketplaces are the best platforms to expand your reach. But if you sell a unique item or handicraft, platforms such as Facebook Marketplace, Etsy or Pinterest, can better catch the attention of consumers.

There is no single channel that can be considered better than others. Rather, every channel presents unique selling opportunities to retailers. So it is all about being in the right marketplaces at the right time with the right strategy. With technological advancement, you have multiple options to take your business to the next level, while experimenting with different omnichannel strategies to see what works best in accomplishing your goals.

Bottom Line

In this age of cut-throat competition made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic in all industries and niche markets, it can all come down to staying fluid and being able to change selling strategies quick and experimenting across channels to see what works best.

Click here to Read about the Steps We Are Taking to ensure Business Continuity for Our Customers and Our Team.

Elite OPS has been a leader in Shipping and Logistics for over 25 years. Contact Us to find out how we can help you Save Time and Money on Procurement as a Service, eCommerce Order Fulfillment, and Kitting and Assembly.