A New Year is an opportunity to make changes and new commitments. For retailers, 2015 provides a chance to improve their business operations and invest in technologies that will improve the bottom line and create unforgettable customer shopping experiences in all channels. According to Shopatron, the world’s leading provider of cloud-based distributed order management solutions, retailers must view 2015 as the year when omni-channel commitment becomes the priority.
In a new eCommerce study conducted by Shopatron in December, 59% of retailers said they did not have plans to deploy new order fulfillment solutions like ship-from-store or in-store pickup. The study also revealed that 71% of retailers reported that they do not have a position in their company with “omni-channel” in the title. What’s more, many retailers have put off implementing an enterprise-grade order management system because of the high investment costs, lack of integration with existing systems and the lack of time and resources dedicated to deployment.
According to a recent EKN Research report, Second Annual Future of Stores Benchmark, retail stores need to move from a destination of commerce to a hub of omni-channel customer engagement. The report states that the lack of process integration, limited software capabilities and limited inventory visibility are the top three challenges retailers face in offering store fulfillment of online orders.
“Last year we heard from many retailers, of all sizes, on their reluctance to make the full omni-channel leap because of these barriers for implementation. That is why we announced the FREE Two-Year Pilot program to give retailers the opportunity to use a world-class order fulfillment platform on a trial-basis,” said Ed Stevens, founder and CEO, Shopatron. “Cloud-based distributed order management removes those barriers of cost, allowing API integration with retailers’ existing systems, and deployment of a scalable solution within 90 days.”
Retail Fulfillment Partners Should Not Fear Brands Selling Direct to Consumer Online
The Shopatron eCommerce study also revealed that 41% of retail fulfillment partners would reduce their buying from a brand they stock in their retail channels if the brand offered “direct-to-consumer,” and 23% reported they would stop buying from the brand all together. However, 57% of the retail fulfillment partners in the study said they would like brands that they stock in their retail channels to sell on eBay and other marketplaces if the resulting orders were routed to their store for fulfillment.
“There is a very significant opportunity for retailers and brands to offer direct-to-consumer order fulfillment options. For brands, it is an easy way to drive online sales, and for retailers it is the perfect opportunity to strengthen their relationships with customers because you are getting their online orders to them quickly with the possibility to have a paying customer in the store,” said Stevens. “Retailers need to know that they are at a critical point where they need to commit to omni-channel, now. It’s no longer in-store or online, it’s in-store with online.”
Shopatron will be at the National Retail Federation’s 2015 Big Show in New York City, January 11-January 14 (booth #3979). If you’d like to learn more about the company’s FREE Two-Year Pilot Program or Inventory Lookup offerings, please contact sara@ketnergroup.com to set up a time to meet with the Shopatron executive team.
About Shopatron
Shopatron is the leading provider of cloud-based, distributed order management. Our patented Shopatron Order Exchange allows branded manufacturers and multi-channel retailers to seamlessly leverage the available inventory of every retail storefront and distribution center when fulfilling online orders. Unlike legacy order management software or custom-built solutions, Shopatron makes it easy and affordable to deploy advanced capabilities like in-store pickup, ship-from-store, inventory lookup, and vendor drop-ship. With Shopatron, retail channels join forces to increase sales, turn inventory, and deliver a superior purchase experience to online shoppers.
