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Omnichannel Across The Entire Business

By Debbie Hauss, Editor-In-Chief

For the last two years I’ve been listening to retail executives pontificate about the prospect of changing company business structure to reflect the new “omnichannel” imperatives in retail. I agree that having an executive oversee the business processes across all channels would provide the perspective a company needs to succeed in the multi-channel marketplace.

I also understand the challenges around creating an upheaval of the top-down leadership in a large company, or a company that’s been around for a long time and is in the habit doing things a certain way. The latter is a longstanding issue in retail down to the store level, where store managers traditionally delivered the final word on store layout, workforce management and inventory selection. But technology has created the need for a bridge between art and science in the store. And technology — in the form of new channels — has created the need for companies to bridge their siloed operations into one cohesive group.

In a recent special report on the Retail TouchPoints site, our Associate Editor, Alicia Fiorletta cited three retailers that are leading the way for others in developing a cohesive omnichannel experience. The article, titled: Leading Retailers Embrace New Solutions To Drive Omnichannel Success, cited Loehmann’s, Canadian Tire and Aeropostale as three omnichannel innovators. 

Other recent articles and events covering omnichannel include:

•  Webinar: Conquering The Omnichannel Arena;
•  Webinar: 6 Steps To Keep Pace With The Omnichannel Consumer;
• Article: Dollar Tree Optimizes Web And Omnichannel Performance; and
• Article: Ecco Shoes Streamlines Omnichannel Engagement With Cloud-Based Solutions.

In the first part of the special report, titled: Creating Omnichannel Strategies That Resonate With Today’s Empowered Consumers, Fiorletta pointed out that some retailers are embracing the idea of omnichannel leadership. Macy’s, for one, has named a Chief Omnichannel Officer; and Saks has recently re-assigned some senior managers with Omnichannel titles.

What’s in a name? Well, some would argue that getting the top-down leadership aligned with the overall business goals is the first and most significant step in delivering on those goals. I tend to agree.

Follow Debbie on Twitter: @DHauss