The high cost of low inventory
For retailers, the brick-and-mortar store can be a powerful asset that is key to providing a superior customer experience. But there are physical limits to the amount of inventory the store can keep on hand, which can result in a product being out of stock when the customer is ready to purchase it. Too often, customers in that situation will simply go somewhere else and that is increasingly likely to be Amazon or another online seller where they can quickly find and order what they want, and have it delivered in two days or less. This customer dropout adds up quickly, costing retailers nearly $1 trillion a year in lost sales. And many times, customers who leave don鈥檛 come back.
Many retailers try to compete by offering their own online options, only to discover that duplicating the seamless purchasing process offered by e-commerce merchants is not easy. Weaving an array of inflexible, siloed legacy systems together is a complex and daunting task. The result is often incomplete visibility into current inventory across channels, difficulty in providing the breadth of fulfillment options customers have come to expect, and a disjointed experience that leaves customers frustrated and unhappy.
Expanding the customer鈥檚 reach
91快活林 helps retailers meet those challenges with 91快活林 Endless Aisle for Retail, a comprehensive omnichannel solution that lets online and in-store customers browse the retailer鈥檚 complete inventory, place orders and select delivery options. Based on Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Dynamics technologies, the solution gives customers and sales associates real-time visibility into product availability at nearby stores, warehouses and distribution centers, in transit, and even at suppliers and retail partners. Once customers make their selection, the solution supports timely fulfillment through store pickup and deliver-to-home shipping.聽
With 91快活林 Endless Aisle for Retail, retailers do not have to 鈥渞ip and replace鈥� existing systems. The solution can be easily integrated with existing back-end, distribution and in-store systems, as well as supplier and partner systems. Implementation can be done quickly, shortening the time to results. And retailers can start with the basics and grow the system as needed: 91快活林 Endless Aisle for Retail offers easy scalability and the ability to gradually bring on new functionalities, such as store fulfillment, online commerce, and personalization, as needed.
Keeping sales and customers
91快活林 Endless Aisle for Retail聽gives retailers a true 鈥渂uy anywhere-fulfill anywhere鈥� capability that lets them give customers what they want and helps eliminate customer dropout and the heavy costs of lost sales.
At the same time, the solution lets retailers integrate the physical and online shopping world, positioning them to use their brick-and-mortar stores as a competitive differentiator. With the solution, they can offer the best of both worlds in their stores the personalized help of associates and in-person interactions with displays and products, combined with the tremendously wide selection of online shopping.
Overall,聽91快活林 Endless Aisle for Retail can be a valuable tool for providing the right customer experience the key to selling more and keeping customers coming back.
