The Current State of Online Shopping Expectations
The NRF Big Show is a highlight of the new year for retailers. One of the features of this year’s exposition is IBM’s presentation of their consumer study:
“High on the list of consumer requirements is a mandate for inventory visibility. As consumer expectations for product fulfillment are shaped by online shopping experiences, out-of-stock situations are becoming less acceptable. Sixty percent of surveyed consumers said it is important for them to be able to find out if an item is in stock before going to the store. And 46 percent of consumers said it’s important that retail employees use mobile devices to fix an out of stock issue, up six points from last year.” — IBM
An interesting finding in the study is that 43% of shoppers prefer shopping online, but only 29% actually bought their last purchase online. Web order fulfillment is part of a process that may result in store pickup, but online shopping is an automatic part of a search for a product.
ChainDrive ecommerce fulfillment software offers complete inventory visibility
While the study revealed a gap between what consumers expected and what they actually found in their online experience, it also shows that gap is good news for retailers who want to step up to the challenge of meeting online shopping expectations. The integrated retail management solution developed by ChainDrive is a great way to accomplish this goal.
For instance, complete inventory visibility is already a standard feature of ChainDrive’s ecommerce fulfillment software. No matter where the customer wants to shop, online or off, they can find what they are looking for, order it, and have it delivered to their preferred location. The retailer can see exactly what inventory is available, move the inventory where needed, and meet customer expectations with ease.