Omnichannel Retailing: Endless Aisle with Shopify
The concept of endless aisles allows customers to order items online while visiting a physical store. nChannel reported that retail stores lose around 10% of their sales due to items being out of stock, however endless aisle solves this problem as you virtually mirroring your entire product catalogue within your physical store. It serves as the counterpart to the buy online, pick up in store option (BOPIS, also known as "Local Pickup").
Benefits of Endless Aisles:
Inventory Efficiency: Endless aisles enable retailers to sell their entire product range without the need to stock every item at each physical store. This facilitates strategies like just-in-time inventory management, with additional stock stored in warehouses, larger store locations, or third-party fulfilment centres.
Enhanced Customer Loyalty: By expanding product selection in store, retailers reduce the likelihood of customers seeking alternatives due to out-of-stock items.
Reduced Returns: Often what drives shoppers to return online purchases is a mismatch in expectations. Products look or feel different from how they had hoped. Customers can’t try before they buy when they exclusively purchase online. Endless aisles solve this problem by letting shoppers interact with products before they purchase them. In-person interactions also allow associates to cross-sell or upsell to receptive customers.
Challenges of Endless Aisles:
Inventory management difficulties: With many products available, it can be challenging to manage inventory effectively. Retailers need to ensure that they have accurate information about product availability and shipping times to prevent stockouts or delays in delivery.
Cost: Cost can be a challenge in implementing endless aisles for retailers. This tactic requires a significant investment in technology and infrastructure to manage inventory, logistics, and customer data effectively. Additionally, retailers may need to work with multiple suppliers or manufacturers to offer a wider range of products, which leads to increased costs.
Logistics: Managing the logistics of endless aisles can be complex. Retailers need to have robust systems in place to track orders, manage returns, and handle customer inquiries. This requires a significant investment in technology and infrastructure.
Examples of Endless Aisles:
Interactive Kiosks: These touchscreen displays enable in-store customers to browse an extensive online product catalogue, view item details, and initiate purchases for home delivery independently, reducing reliance on retail staff.
Showrooming: With a growing emphasis on experiential retail, showrooming offers customers the opportunity to explore products in-store before completing purchases online. Strategies like QR codes and email carts facilitate seamless transitions between offline browsing and online transactions.
Leveraging Shopify for Endless Aisle:
Shopify POS offers a built-in feature that allows customers to order products on the spot and have them shipped directly to their location. This feature helps to ensure that customers don't leave the store without making a purchase and also provides an opportunity to sell products that may not be available in-store. Additionally, you can use Shopify POS email carts to send customers their wishlist by email and encourage them to buy from your store even after they leave. This way, you get credit for the sale even if it happens online.
How we can help:
Enterprise Connect provides comprehensive solutions to overcome the challenges and leverage the benefits of implementing endless aisles in retail. Its modules such as WMS Connect, Stock Connect, Bundle Connect, ERP Connect, and Finance Connect allow retailers to seamlessly combine their online and offline operations. This integration ensures real-time inventory management, order synchronisation, and streamline logistics, thereby enhancing inventory efficiency and reducing the likelihood of out-of-stock situations. Additionally, Enterprise Connect simplifies processes like bundle creation and financial reconciliation, enabling retailers to focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences while optimising their operational efficiency.
Our suite of five powerful modules is designed to make managing your enterprise operations easier and efficient. Contact us today to see how we can help you.
Closing Thoughts:
In conclusion, the integration of endless aisles into the retail landscape represents an evolution in consumer convenience and omnichannel strategy. By bridging the gap between online and offline shopping, retailers can provide a better experience for their customers and increase the efficiency of their operations.