Want to please your customers? Create a harmonious cross-channel shopping experience

Does your retail companys left hand know what the right hand is doing, and vice versa? A recent study suggests that if they don't, it could be hurting your bottom line.

Technology Update Sponsored by eBay Enterprise, customer analytics firm CFI Group suggests that given the significant proportion of shoppers reaching out through multiple channels when shopping, the importance for retailers to communicate online promotions to store employees and customer service agents and align store policies and product information across all channels cannot be understated.

Says CFI Group CEO Sheri Petras:It's been clear for some time now that shopping has become an interwoven, cross-channel process. So to present consumers with a proper retail experience, those channels need to communicate efficiently. Doing so creates a synergy that promotes confidence and trust for the consumer, while avoiding the frustration and confusion that comes with receiving inconsistent information.

The report suggests the opposite is true. Just 19 percent of consumers say information received from different channels from the same retailer is always consistent. Furthermore, 78 percent say they have dealt with in-store associates unaware of current online promotions. Both scenarios create consumer frustration and dissatisfaction.

How do retailers address this problem? By making sure that the left hand is communicating with the right, and vice versa. Perhaps the solution is a custom web app development with proven interface structures to make sure everybody in the organization is on the same page. If the retail outlet includes a field service branch, those people should also be brought into the conversation.

Tags: field services, field services management, retail, web app, web app development

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