Before buying a product or a service, people have a natural tendency to check their details on the internet. In fact, a customer researches a lot through search engines and social media channels. A single purchase may involve different channels like Apps, Websites, Store Walk-ins, etc. Moreover, a customer may research and buy online and then pick the item from the retail store or conversely he may go to a nearby mall and check the product first and then buy online.
Therefore, retailing in today’s times has become more about providing multi-channel or a cross-channel experience to the customers.
Shoppers check products, compare the price and research reviews online especially in marketplaces like Amazon, Flipkart, etc. A retailer needs to ensure that its products are available everywhere across all the online and offline channels. If he misses out on any channel then it will affect the customer experience (CX) which ultimately affects the bottom line. Hence, integrations are an important part of any omni channel retail solution because they ensure connectivity with the customers. Here is a list of all the integrations that retailers should have in their omni channel solution -
Payment Integration
Customers look for efficiency, speed, and security in a payment gateway. Among all the other integrations, payment integration should be taken as a top priority by a retail enterprise because that is where the money is coming from. A retail organization should have all the necessary integrations with different payment gateways to ensure smooth financial transactions.
Social Media Integration
Social media has become an important part of our lives. Millennials spend a lot of time on social media platforms like Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram, etc. A lot of people check out products on these platforms and discuss and share reviews. This has also given rise to influencer marketing wherein a person with a high fan following on social media promotes a certain product. Retail software should be well integrated across all social media channels to ensure connectivity to potential customers. It also allows a retailer to generate analytics reports and study patterns for which platform is providing maximum traffic and how he can further align his marketing and promotions strategy for better gains.
Marketplace Integrations
A large number of people flock on marketplaces like Amazon, Flipkart, etc to buy products. Having your own ecommerce store is a good idea but if the same is integrated with a Marketplace then it allows the retailers to tap the customers visiting marketplaces. Being a seller in Flipkart or Amazon always helps. Also, if a customer sees a product in the marketplace and the same is supported by an ecommerce website then it helps in building a greater degree of trust between retailers and customers eventually generating more sales.
Sms and Email Integration
It is important for a retail enterprise to keep its customers informed not just about the different stages of delivery but also about the upcoming products, discounts and offers. This accounts for better customer experience and increased brand awareness finally resulting in overall business growth. A retail brand that regularly sends SMSes and emails to its customers is able to build a recall value. It is all about being in front of the customers whether it is through advertising or through SMS and email messages. Nevertheless, SMS and emails are an economical way to reach out to customers.
Courier Agency Integration
Courier agencies play an important part when it comes to the timely delivery of products. A courier agency can make or break a retail brand because it is required not just for the delivery but also for the returns and exchange of products. Therefore, it is essential for a retail enterprise to integrate its omnichannel solution with a good and reliable logistics platform.
Accounting Integrations
Integrating the POS and Ecommerce store with popular accounting software like tally and QuickBooks helps a retail brand to manage taxes and compliance. However, If your omnichannel solution already covers these capabilities then you may not need these integrations.
Importance of using the best pos and ecommerce integration
A POS (Point of Sale) is a system in retail store where your consumers make a payment for the goods. It is a place where orders are processed, checkout happens and bills are paid. It provides a way to track and manage your buyers, products, and orders in real-time on a single platform.
The CRM integration with POS software helps the staff members to quickly check the customer details and update them. You can create new sales strategies for your customers as per their interest and purchase history. Omnichannel Point of Sale offers integration with Tally, Quickbooks, etc to export your order receipts directly from all the channels. Omnichannel Point of Sale makes your business accessible 24 hours a day to your customers.
Omnichannel POS supports "Buy Online, Pickup in Store". Consumers can buy in one store and receive the delivery from the other and similar options to enhance the shopping experience.
A well-integrated retail ecommerce software helps both retailers and customers. Here are a few reasons why your POS needs to be integrated with your ecommerce solution:
Centralized Product Catalog
The POS integration makes it easy for a business to define what products to list online and offline because the POS Software can simply pull the product information from the ecommerce store bypassing the hassle of manually uploading the product catalog. A central repository provides easy product management.
Any update or change that is done through the POS in the product catalog will be reflected across the entire ecommerce system. Also, store-level changes are done sometimes based on business decisions or some promotional activity, if systems are integrated then it reduces the need to manually enter the same data again and again.
Inventory Management
It is important to maintain inventory as per the sales that take place from the physical store and the online store. If the data from the POS is synchronized with the inventory then it helps in real-time inventory management. It offers complete visibility about the stock & inventory which is accessible across all the channels. It helps in maintaining stock levels and to release purchase orders for restocking. This reduces human errors and increases operational efficiency.
Marketing & Promotions
Retail marketing and promotions become easy if you are using the best pos and ecommerce integration. When the data from the POS is integrated with the Ecommerce store then it becomes easy to study customer preferences and based on that marketing and promotions can be aligned. By studying a customer’s history, buying behavior, and inclination, a retailer can show him the relevant products online.
Great Customer Experience
A customer’s loyalty points for online shopping can be redeemed in physical retail store shopping or vice versa. The staff member would just need to look up into the integrated POS retail software for accessing reward point data.
Nowadays, whether a customer buys from an online store or offline store, he expects complete product catalog and information and also the customer does a lot of research before actually buying a product. Integration helps retailers to provide a seamless shopping flow to the customers.
Looking for an Omnichannel Retail Solution? Know how How Brick & mortar and Ecommerce together make the best Omnichannel Retail Experience.
