Do You Have Aspirations for Omnichannel Excellence?
Omnichannel capability now a requirement for an e-commerce platform
The growing imperative to sell through multiple channels is presenting new strategic and operational challenges for commerce decision-makers. When brick and mortar stores were the only game in town, the orchestration of inventory, shipping, and fulfillment was much easier. Today, consumers are driving commerce across more channels and platforms than ever: they’re buying from brick-and-mortar stores as well as Amazon and eBay; they’re purchasing on desktop, mobile, and even IoT devices; and they want the ability to buy a product in one place, pick it up in another, or have it delivered at a time and place of their choosing and convenience.
Enter the Order Management System
The Order Management System (OMS) has become an essential requirement for a leading e-commerce platform that prioritizes the experiences of end-customers. Traditional order and inventory management systems weren’t designed to work across multiple channels and synchronize all the elements of the modern customer transactional lifecycle. The focus on customer experience has underscored the importance of an OMS, which is highlighted in the recent Forrester Research report, Now Tech: Omnichannel Order Management Systems, Q2 2018:
“In 2017, omnichannel efforts were a top-three digital business priority for 22% of retailers we surveyed and a new investment for 30%. This focus makes sense, considering that 62% of US online adults report using buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS) or related services when they're available.”
Find the right order manager for your needs
Perhaps you’re now thinking, “I’m convinced about the need to orchestrate orders across channels, but where do I start?”
You’re not alone; many e-commerce merchandisers still are in the nascent phases of mapping out their omnichannel requirements. And while every business has different needs, Forrester offers some guidance to help narrow the list of a diverse set of vendors, including Sitecore. To select the right omnichannel OMS vendor, Forrester recommends that digital business professionals shortlist vendors that specialize in their market's needs, involve key stakeholders across the enterprise early in the process, and invest in an omnichannel OMS with an eye to their future needs.
Plan for the longterm
On the latter point, Forrester notes,
“Most omnichannel OMS buyers evaluate solutions based on their current needs, but customer expectations are rising quickly and future functionality is increasingly important for mature digital businesses.”
Serving current cutting-edge scenarios while being positioned for the future is precisely why Sitecore Experience Commerce™ has quickly become a top choice for omnichannel digital businesses: Its microservices-based plugin architecture allows customers to easily tailor functionality to their individual needs and provides a foundation for an amazing amount of innovation in the years ahead. Moreover, because Sitecore Experience Commerce offers native content management and commerce capabilities, customers not only have the ability to manage order processing scenarios, but also deliver personalized shopping journeys with optimized content, promotions, and checkout options.