Online's not the only way as omnichannel retailing rises

A high street presence is increasingly influencing consumers’ decisions on whether they buy from brands online, with the rise of omnichannel shopping accelerating over the past two years of the Covid pandemic.

So says a new study from Retail Technology Show, which will take place in London during April, which quizzed more than 2,000 UK shoppers.

For online shoppers, free delivery is the top consideration, followed by a simple and easy returns process. And, when it comes to loyalty, personalised digital buying experiences are the order of the day, with 29% of UK shoppers saying that online retailers need to make them feel like a valued individual customer, rather than just website traffic, to keep them coming back for more.

Some 20% of UK consumers said they would be more likely to buy from a digital retailer if their ecommerce offer was backed up by a physical presence on the high street.

At the same time, however, 28% would only continue to use bricks and mortar stores if they could match the speed and convenience of shopping online.

Retail Technology Show event director Matt Bradley said: “While responsible for a seismic shift and much disruption in the retail industry, the truth is that the future of retail arrived long before Covid.

“For well over a decade, retailers have been on a journey to transform their businesses to engage the omnichannel customer, who’s demands have converged across channels and now expect seamless, personal and connected shopping journeys.

“The rate of change from business to business has varied wildly, but with the accelerated shift to new ways of shopping in the past 18 months, the urgency to act is now more pressing than ever.

“Retailers’ biggest challenge is how to trade effectively right now while implementing the technologies and processes that will help them stay relevant as many of the current consumer trends turn into business as usual.”