More than half (54%) of retailers claim their technology does not support “save-the-sale” initiatives, or efforts to reduce customers’ online cart abandonment and lack of in-store satisfaction.
Of the technologies that can to direct consumers back to the purchase, retailers most often use:
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The retail associate platform (57%);
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Order management systems (53%); and
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POS (49%).
While these retailers often don’t feel they have the proper technology to save the sale, 40% of them think that consumers don’t want it as part of their shopper experience.
A previous report from Kibo revealed that only 7% of store associates attempted to save the sale if the interaction with the consumer turned negative, so it’s clear that this is an area retailers need to focus on to improve the brick-and-mortar store experience despite these brands having some reservations.
Technology limits haven’t just curbed support for save-the-sale, but other omnichannel retail functions such as ship-from-store (39%) and in-store pickup (50%). In fact, 66% of retailers don’t offer in-store pickup, although 42% plan to invest in in-store pickup in the next 12 months.
As far as additional future investments, some retailers expect to implement same-day delivery (22%) and in-store kiosks (20%) within the next year. However, the same cannot be said for augmented reality, with an expected 4% adoption rate within the timeframe. Despite the popularity of Pokémon Go over the summer, 54% of retailers believe augmented reality technologies are a passing fad.
One investment more retailers must get on board with is upgrading their inventory management capabilities to bolster accuracy and visibility. Only 14% of respondents say they have complete visibility, accuracy and trust of their inventory across their locations enterprise-wide.
While a slight majority (57%) of retailers feel reasonably confident about their inventory accuracy, and confidently commit most orders against inventory at their locations, 29% of retailers are either skeptical of their inventory accuracy; feel their inventory is often inaccurate and have low trust and visibility; or feel they don’t have accurate visibility into inventory at any location.
