Does an online store need omnichannel?

According to experts, the assortment of offline and online stores should be different, because their target audience is different. What is the difference between the target audiences of a regular retail store and its online clone? Does an online store need omnichannel? What similarities and differences exist between an offline and online store? These questions are answered by SR expert practitioner on business technologies in retail Natalya Chinenova

Natalya Chinenova -

Natalia Chinenova, chief business technology consultant in retail at Fashion Consulting Group.

@fcgmedia

The target audience (TA) of an offline store and an e-commerce website is different.

In an offline store, the target audience is an audience of potential consumers of any product or service. This is the audience to which marketing communications are primarily targeted. It will be divided according to demographic, geographic, economic, psychographic and other characteristics, as well as behavioral qualities: the idea of ​​​​the “quality” of goods, communication and communication channels, motivation to purchase, methods and methods of making a purchase, preference for the place of purchase.

If we are talking about the target audience of e-commerce, then this is a group of people who are most likely to be interested in the offer and buy specific products. The target market is the end users who may not be the target audience for a particular product, but may purchase it.

In order to answer the question whether an online store needs omnichannel, you need to understand what similarities and differences exist between an offline and online retail store.

In an offline store, the purchase and sale of goods for personal use occurs by the end consumer through an equipped sales area. In an online store, purchasing and selling for a personal user to end consumers occurs through a digital platform (website).

If you look at the coverage of customers, then offline these are residents of a microdistrict within a radius of 1,5 square meters around the point of sale for street retail, visitors to a specific shopping center for stores in a shopping center and the target audience of a specific brand. Online, the reach of buyers is all Internet users, buyers whose needs are met at a specific point in time by a specific unit of goods and the target audience of a specific brand.

The availability of an offline store is limited by the convenience of transport or walking distance, operating hours and government orders, laws and regulations. The availability of an online store, on the contrary, is not limited in any way. The online store operates 25/7/365, accessible from any device - computer, tablet, phone - and anywhere, regardless of the consumer’s location.

Taking into account the peculiarities of offline retail sales, all deliveries are primarily made to the company’s retail stores. The assortment of each retail store of the same chain can and should be different. The unifying link is handwriting, basic models and sales drivers.

The assortment of offline and online stores should be different. Offline, the range of products corresponds to the social status of the target audience. The number of products is limited by the capacity of the sales floor, and its updating and replenishment must occur at least once a month.

Offline, it is important to quickly move knocked-out colors, one-off models, and sales outsiders to other distribution channels. Promotions and sales promotion activities must be carried out in accordance with the calendar plan.

The catalog of its own online store contains the full range of the company’s products, regardless of the season. Update, namely the movement of goods on the first lines of the catalog, should occur at least once every two weeks in accordance with the weather and the behavior of competitors. The movement of goods available in a full range of colors and sizes to other distribution channels is permissible if the turnover of a unit of goods exceeds 180 days of sales.

Single remnants and punched-out colors and sizes are moved to other distribution channels at the end of the season. Promotions and events are carried out in accordance with the behavior of online competitors, marketplaces, the goals and objectives of the online store itself and to attract new customers.

Photo: Ekonika FW 2022/23