By Wilmar Lima, Vice President of Digital Transformation at FH
Service logistics has never been more important for brands than now. This is because, with technology inserted in people's daily lives, online and offline sales are completed and, with this, new challenges arise for the era of omnichannel retailing - a trend that converges all sales channels used by a company and makes the customer experience is the key point.
In the era of experience, it is necessary to think of each customer as a unit and no longer as a large audience, after all, each has specific needs, a factor that requires the presence of brands in all points of contact. However, this goes beyond the simple standardization of apps, websites and stores, in this process monitoring the customer's journey is essential.
A study by SAP Hybris shows that 49% of consumers are comfortable with sharing personal data with brands. However, in return, they expect interactions to be in real time, personalized and tailored according to purchase preferences, transaction history and user behavior. This means that during the purchase journey the expectation goes beyond the quality of service, it also involves the proximity to the brand and the feeling of appreciation.
The survey also reveals that 43% of the companies agree that a good experience with the brands makes the consumer an advocate of them, more than that, it still guarantees the use of the service more often and referral to other people. Another point of the survey is that 51% consumers expect to see the same offers from a store on multiple channels.
The fact is that the potential of digital resources, ranging from social networks to the Internet of Things, has in recent years promoted a real revolution in the retail market. Therefore, the expectation for the coming decades is that more and more companies, from different segments, are betting on multichannel to follow the evolution of consumer behavior.
Check out some omnichannel trends for retail in 2018 and the success story of the first omnichannel assisted sales project in Brazil:
• Voice command - Consumers already use voice commands to do research, obtain weather forecasts, select songs, among other countless tasks. And, if you were used to purchasing products with a simple click, why not use voice control technology? Certainly, this is the next bet to further improve the purchase journey. By using the voice command, people with a physical or visual disability, or even the elderly, will find it easier to make their purchases.
• Smart showcases - The concepts of omnichannel and machine learning enable new experiences for retailers. With an eye on the fashion world, SAP developed the Smart Vitrines solution, a product recommendation technology that transforms the showcases into intelligent sales and administration assistants. The solution offers agility and benefits for tenants and consumers, in addition to a specific and personalized channel for customer relations.
• Assisted sales - Before, customers arrived at the store, discussed the design of their house with the seller, checked the price and availability of stock of a certain product. Today, through multi-service, using the website and cell phone, salespeople can offer more information about each item, which makes shopping a unique and differentiated experience. The first omnichannel assisted sales project in Brazil, with the SAP Hybris tool, was implemented by FH at Leroy Merlin, in 2017. The pilot was carried out at the São Bernardo do Campo store. With this integration between website and mobile, Leroy Merlin has become the first network in the Construction Materials Retail sector (multi-specialist in the home, specializing in construction, finishing, DIY, decoration and gardening) to operate 100% in the omnichannel model.
In the era of experience, it is necessary to think of each customer as a unit and no longer as a large audience, after all, each has specific needs, a factor that requires the presence of brands in all points of contact. However, this goes beyond the simple standardization of apps, websites and stores, in this process monitoring the customer's journey is essential.
A study by SAP Hybris shows that 49% of consumers are comfortable with sharing personal data with brands. However, in return, they expect interactions to be in real time, personalized and tailored according to purchase preferences, transaction history and user behavior. This means that during the purchase journey the expectation goes beyond the quality of service, it also involves the proximity to the brand and the feeling of appreciation.
The survey also reveals that 43% of the companies agree that a good experience with the brands makes the consumer an advocate of them, more than that, it still guarantees the use of the service more often and referral to other people. Another point of the survey is that 51% consumers expect to see the same offers from a store on multiple channels.
The fact is that the potential of digital resources, ranging from social networks to the Internet of Things, has in recent years promoted a real revolution in the retail market. Therefore, the expectation for the coming decades is that more and more companies, from different segments, are betting on multichannel to follow the evolution of consumer behavior.
Check out some omnichannel trends for retail in 2018 and the success story of the first omnichannel assisted sales project in Brazil:
• Voice command - Consumers already use voice commands to do research, obtain weather forecasts, select songs, among other countless tasks. And, if you were used to purchasing products with a simple click, why not use voice control technology? Certainly, this is the next bet to further improve the purchase journey. By using the voice command, people with a physical or visual disability, or even the elderly, will find it easier to make their purchases.
• Smart showcases - The concepts of omnichannel and machine learning enable new experiences for retailers. With an eye on the fashion world, SAP developed the Smart Vitrines solution, a product recommendation technology that transforms the showcases into intelligent sales and administration assistants. The solution offers agility and benefits for tenants and consumers, in addition to a specific and personalized channel for customer relations.
• Assisted sales - Before, customers arrived at the store, discussed the design of their house with the seller, checked the price and availability of stock of a certain product. Today, through multi-service, using the website and cell phone, salespeople can offer more information about each item, which makes shopping a unique and differentiated experience. The first omnichannel assisted sales project in Brazil, with the SAP Hybris tool, was implemented by FH at Leroy Merlin, in 2017. The pilot was carried out at the São Bernardo do Campo store. With this integration between website and mobile, Leroy Merlin has become the first network in the Construction Materials Retail sector (multi-specialist in the home, specializing in construction, finishing, DIY, decoration and gardening) to operate 100% in the omnichannel model.
EN 
PT 
