Traditional retail largely depended on customers visiting a physical store to discover and purchase products. Today, digital commerce has changed that journey.

Customers can discover products online, purchase through an ecommerce website or mobile app, place an order by phone, buy through marketplaces, or visit a physical store. For modern retailers, the challenge is no longer simply having multiple sales channels - the real challenge is making all those channels work together as one unified retail operation. This is where omnichannel retail becomes essential.

With the digital revolution, retail businesses now have multiple sales channels to fulfil. POS (Point of Sale), eCommerce site, mobile app, telephonic orders, and multiple marketplaces are the common sales channels for modern retail businesses. In other words, retail businesses must have omnichannel capabilities. The next immediate question is: what is the IT infrastructure requirement, and how do you meet omnichannel requirements?

Omnichannel retail is an approach where all customer-facing sales and service channels are connected through a unified retail ecosystem. Instead of operating stores, ecommerce, mobile apps, marketplaces and other channels independently, an omnichannel platform enables them to share relevant data, inventory, orders, promotions and customer information.

A customer may discover a product on a mobile app, check its availability at a nearby store, place the order online, receive it through home delivery, and later return it at a physical store. To the customer, this should feel like one continuous shopping experience - not several disconnected systems.

What Does an Omnichannel Retail Platform Need?

  1. Warehouse Management (WMS) & Supply Chain
  2. Outlet Management & POS
  3. eCommerce Site
  4. Customer Mobile Apps (Android & iOS)
  5. Marketplace Integration (Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, and so on)
  6. Telephonic Orders
  7. Field Sales Person App
  8. Order Management
  9. Door Delivery, Payments & Logistics Partner Integration

Many traditional ERP implementations were designed primarily around back-office processes and may require additional commerce, marketplace, order-management and integration layers to support a complete omnichannel experience. As a result, retailers may end up managing multiple applications and integrations - increasing implementation complexity, cost and maintenance requirements. The solution is a cloud-based omnichannel retail platform that supports every sales channel and beyond.

Omnichannel retail platform architecture diagram

How Can Retailers Build an Omnichannel Ecosystem?

A cloud-based omnichannel retail software can simplify this architecture by bringing multiple retail operations and customer channels together within a unified platform.

TechnoLabs developed Retail Clouds as a unified omnichannel retail platform designed to connect retail stores, POS, ecommerce, mobile applications, marketplaces, order management, inventory and fulfilment.

TechnoLabs built the omnichannel platform called Retail Clouds (www.retailclouds.com) that supports all sales channels by default. With deep roots in research and development, Retail Clouds offers a few niche features like geo-fencing, order routing using GPS coordinates, access to real-time inventory, and more.

Why Retailers Choose Retail Clouds

  1. No CAPEX. Pay as you use.
  2. Seamless customer experience across all channels.
  3. One-point MDM (Master Data Management) for all channels.
  4. eCommerce site can be made ready in a matter of hours.
  5. White-labelled customer app.
  6. Picks real-time stock from the nearest store or warehouse and shows it online.
  7. Routes orders to the nearest fulfilment centre by calculating Google distance.
  8. Promotions are seamless across all channels.
  9. Customer loyalty is seamless as well.
  10. AI-based customer behaviour analysis available for better conversion, both at storefront and online, as a niche service.

The same can be experienced by calling for a live demo.

Retail Clouds platform benefits overview

See Retail Clouds in action

Get a live walkthrough of how one platform can connect every one of your sales channels.

Request a Live Demo

Frequently Asked Questions

What is omnichannel retail?
Omnichannel retail connects multiple sales and customer-service channels into a unified retail experience.
What are examples of omnichannel retail?
Examples include physical stores, POS, ecommerce websites, mobile apps, marketplaces, telephone ordering and other connected sales channels.
Why is real-time inventory important for omnichannel retail?
Real-time inventory visibility allows retailers and customers to know where products are available and helps businesses select appropriate fulfillment locations.
What is the difference between multichannel and omnichannel retail?
Multichannel retail provides multiple channels, while omnichannel retail connects those channels to provide a unified customer and operational experience.
Does omnichannel retail require multiple software systems?
It can, but a unified cloud-based retail platform can reduce the need to manage multiple disconnected applications and integrations.

Final Thoughts

Omnichannel retail is no longer simply about selling through multiple channels. It is about creating one connected retail ecosystem where stores, ecommerce, mobile, marketplaces, inventory, orders, fulfilment and customer engagement work together.

For retailers, the goal is simple: give customers the freedom to shop wherever they want while giving the business a unified view of products, inventory, orders and customers.

A cloud-based omnichannel platform such as Retail Clouds can help retailers build this connected ecosystem without having to manage a collection of disconnected systems.

Want to see how omnichannel retail can work for your business?

Request a live demo of Retail Clouds

www.retailclouds.com
For more details, write to us at business@retailclouds.com