Beyond Retail: Omni-channel, Multi Platform and the Unified Experience

"Omni-channel" was an oft-heard buzzword at the National Retail Foundation's (NRF) 2013 annual conference, though it goes by a variety of names including all-channel, multi-channel, cross-channel and channel-clustering. Ultimately, however, the terms used by different tech providers all boil down to the same thing: offering consistent back end access to services, tools, and data, as well as consistent and reliable customer experiences across retail channels from web to mobile to in-store and beyond.

This obsession with consistency isn't just limited to the retail business, however, as companies begin to act like consumers - seeking holistic business intelligence (BI) experiences across multiple platforms including on premise, through software as a service (SaaS), virtual machines (VMs), and mobile.

Change the Channel

A recent ChainLink Research article discusses omni-channel retail hype, noting that while there are a wide variety of players in this game, there aren't yet any clear front runners because "there are so many dimensions to doing omni-channnel well." The article discusses several "centers of gravity," including the unification of both front and back-end functions, along with mobile development, making a market leader hard to come by in the omni-channel space.

Several technology giants are trying to find their retail strenths, including IBM, which rolled out analytics back end apps at NRF, aimed at helping retailers obtain shoppers' long-term business. Recent studies by Big Blue show that while most consumers (89%) are willing to spend 20 minutes creating a client profile if it leads to better offers, over half expect the a company to track their purchases and adjust marketing efforts accordingly. According to ...