Embrace omni-channel now or face the consequences later warns myCircle Inc

Omni-channel is no longer just a buzzword for marketing geeks – it’s the hi-definition version of the retail experience and every consumer wants in. And why not? When watching a movie at home, would you settle for the option of watching a normal definition flick when there’s a far more immersive and better quality option available? Of course you wouldn’t, so why then – should we expect consumers to behave any different?

Today’s tech-savvy consumers are increasingly expecting a unified experience when they engage with brands. They want to browse online, to check stock availability, to click and collect and to be recognised and rewarded for their loyalty.  More importantly, they want it at their fingertips on a mobile device, and it all needs to work seamlessly, easily and quickly. But if you think these needs can be met through a single-channel ecommerce website, think again. Customers are demanding more than a simplified “browse and buy” transaction. They want the well-merchandised, social and personal aspects of the ‘bricks and mortar’ experience as well. And it’s this “holy grail”, which brings together the online and in-store experiences successfully, that very few retailers have managed to achieve today.  It isn’t about moving your website onto mobile. It is about embracing the C2B (consumer to business era) and delivering an exceptional, engaging omni-channel experience.

Luckily, this predicament is something Maggie Sanchez, CEO of software development company myCircle, anticipated back in 2012. myCircle spent the last 3 years creating an “out of the box” omnichannel solution which can be customised to almost any retailer – regardless of size or industry sector. “We want to connect the consumer and the merchant like never before” said Maggie. “For too long, retailers have been delivering a disconnected dual-channel experience to their consumers and that’s just not good enough. Consumers are in the driver’s seat and will no longer accept having to choose between the convenience of digital channel or the personal and social aspects of the in-store purchasing experience. Our technology blends the two worlds seamlessly together, delivering an enhanced consumer experience for the customer whilst increasing share-of-wallet and revenues for the retailer”.

So what should the perfect omni-channel experience look like? Well according to myCircle it’s about presenting the consumer with relevant, geo-located information based on their individual likes and preferences. It’s about providing a platform to communicate with friends as well as with retail advisors to discuss products and potential purchases – and it’s about being able to purchase or reserve your items and then choose when you’ll be in to try them on, pick them up or have them delivered.

But that’s just the transactional side of the omni-channel experience. Behind the scenes, businesses need to become more data driven. By collecting behavioural information tied to individual consumers, retailers can derive insights in real-time and drive buying ‘actions’ which in turn deliver a higher percentage of conversion-to-sale. In short, retailers need the ability to collect and analyse live consumer and sales trading data to give the customer more of what they want, when they want it.

For retailers that embrace omni-channel early, the rewards are limitless. Increased brand loyalty, large scale customer acquisition and improved average spend. Consumers know better than anyone, where to find the best shopping experiences specifically for them – and if you’re not delivering that as a merchant – the very future of your business could soon be in doubt.

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About myCircle Enterprises

myCircle is revolutionising merchant and consumer experiences. myCircle is a POS Consumer Engagement Retail Platform and Data company. Built as a cloud-based SaaS enterprise scale system, and delivered through applications for mobile smart devices–tablets and computers for the retail & hospitality industries and smartphones for consumers—myCircle is reimagining a more valuable buying and selling experience for both consumers and retailers.

myCircle was founded in 2012 by three seasoned, senior executives with extensive start-up and international experience in leading global organisations such as Microsoft, Starbucks, WPP, Vodafone, Chorion, Powa Technologies and IMI Mobile.