Over the past several years, omnichannel has been a significant driver of retail and ecommerce experiences and a core driver of the modern customer journey. Omnichannel retail is the seamless integration of all shopping channels, both online and offline. It allows consumers to shop however and whenever they want, while providing a consistent experience across all engagements with your business, regardless of how they choose to shop.
Considering this trend is not likely to slow down—quite the opposite, it’s likely to become an even more integral, but complex, part of the future of commerce—omnichannel fulfillment has also grown more popular so businesses can fulfill orders from any channel with better visibility and unified inventory management.
As we approach 2025, it’s clear that businesses who do not embrace an omnichannel approach will be at a disadvantage in the very near future. Read on to learn more about the key omnichannel trends both ecommerce operators and third-party logistics (3PL) providers need to know to stay ahead of the curve and remain competitive.
Practically everyone is more accustomed to online shopping (especially on mobile devices, with m-commerce expected to make up 62% of all ecommerce sales by 2027, per Statista), leading to higher consumer expectations for fulfillment. Additionally, they are now using more channels than ever before, and they expect retailers to provide them with a seamless shopping experience across all of these various channels.
Consumers thrive with direct shopping on social media, chatting with virtual assistants, purchasing in-store, and more. In a highly competitive market, brands are scrambling to meet their needs by offering multiple shopping channels, and many are even providing voice search and commands in their online stores for buyers to make purchases.
As shopping expectations change, we’re seeing increased focus on:
Omnichannel fulfillment is about developing successful strategies and processes to manage burgeoning inventory, picking, packing, and shipping from a specific location to a multitude of multichannel consumers around the world. Effective omnichannel fulfillment for 3PL processes must focus on optimizing operations, streamlining outbound processing, and ensuring efficient shipping.
Here are some tips for embracing the future of omnichannel fulfillment:
For the foreseeable future, the need for BOPIS will remain and even grow. Post COVID many people want to avoid crowded stores and standing in line. Additionally, BORIS has become a popular way for shoppers to return products in-person (and often find a replacement while in the store, making BORIS a great alternative to shipped returns that allow retailers to recoup some of the profits from the return).
How are businesses embracing this trend? Some brands have designed separate entryways for BOPIS shoppers to pick up merchandise. Also, many retailers have designated particular parking spaces for BOPIS. Smart lockers, which are opened using a PIN or barcode that is delivered via text message, email, or mobile app at the time of purchase, are also popular with BOPIS shoppers because they don’t require human interaction. A retailer simply fills the locker with merchandise and the consumer picks it up at their convenience.
Social commerce is the buying and selling of goods and services on social media platforms. It allows retailers to reach new audiences, promote their products in a more engaging way, and build better customer relationships through touchpoints consumers are already using. Trends indicate that consumers are more likely to buy products from brands they follow on social media, and a growing number of brands are likely to ramp up social selling through videos (for example, on Instagram and TikTok) as consumers are increasingly watching this content.
The creator economy is booming, with more people creating and selling content online. Retailers are responding by partnering with creators to reach new audiences and promote their products. This can help retailers reach new audiences and build relationships with potential consumers. Retailers can also use creators to create sponsored content and promote their products in a more authentic way.
Retailers and 3PLs are using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in a variety of ways, including to improve product recommendations, introduce personalized experiences, and optimize inventory management. It can help retailers and logistics providers improve their bottom line by boosting efficiency, reducing costs, increasing profitability, and improving customer relationships.
In today’s competitive retail landscape, retailers need a deep understanding of consumers and shopping habits. This is where data and analytics come in. By collecting and analyzing data from a variety of sources, retailers can gain insights into consumer behavior, product preferences, and market trends.
This information can be used to improve a wide range of aspects of the retail business, such as product development, marketing and sales, and operations, for example predicting customer demand and allocating inventory appropriately.
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies can create immersive shopping experiences through metaverse ecommerce. AR overlays digital information onto the real world (e.g., a consumer "placing" furniture in their home before buying), while VR creates a completely simulated environment (for example, exploring a virtual store).
Showrooming is the act of visiting a physical store to browse and try on products, but then purchase them online (often for a lower price). It’s becoming more common as consumers access more information and pricing options online.
There are pluses and minuses here; on one hand, the consumer may purchase from you when they might otherwise have chosen a competitor who had a similar or lower price. However, when consumers are showrooming and not purchasing from the retailer while visiting, it could lead to lost sales and decreased revenue, especially if the expectations of in-store experiences aren’t met.
Set prices that are competitive with online retailers.
Offer convenient fulfillment options—such as BOPIS and same-day delivery—and services not available online such as installation and technical support.
Create a unique and engaging shopping experience that gives consumers a reason to shop in their stores.
In today's rapidly changing market, it's more important than ever to keep pace with emerging trends. Extensiv’s platform can help you do that with our feature-packed software:
Request a demo today to learn more about Extensiv’s solutions for brands or our solutions for 3PLs!