Once upon a time, wise marketers began endeavoring to deliver consistent experiences across channels, hoping to make shoppers’ dreams come true. After all, 95% of consumers frequently or occasionally shop retailers’ websites and brick-and-mortar stores, according to the April 2014 “Omnichannel Insights” report by CFI Group and eBay Enterprise. Furthermore, 82% of consumers say being able to place website orders in-store is at least somewhat important, and 36% always expect website prices to be the same as those in-store.
However, cross-channel mixed messaging can make shoppers feel less like royalty and more like damsels in distress. Nearly three fourths of shoppers (73%) experience price and promotion inconsistencies between brands’ websites and stores, according to the report. These discrepancies can also have a wicked effect on some shoppers’ purchase decisions. Of the 73% of consumers who have experienced inconsistencies, 28% stop shopping with a brand altogether or at least look elsewhere first due to price differences. Yet, some consumers are more forgiving. Despite conflicting prices, 56% of surveyed consumers will continue shopping with a retailer provided that it works its magic to offer the best price regardless of channel.
Untrained associates can also inhibit brands from creating a fairytale experience for customers. In the report, consumers say that store associates showed occasional or frequent ignorance of Web promotions 77% of the time. Likewise, surveyed shoppers say that they occasionally or frequently receive call center information that conflicts with that of other channels 78% of the time. This is an ogre of an issue considering that 70% of consumers tend to call customer service regarding in-store or online issues, according to the report.
Back-ordered and out-of-stock items can further prohibit retailers from growing sales like a beanstalk. According to the report, 40% of consumers say brands with out-of-stock or back-ordered items are likely to lose their business to a competitor. Fifty-six percent of consumers find their desired online items to be out-of-stock or back-ordered 10 to 20% of the time, and 21% say they’re unavailable up to 30 to 50% of the time. Not all retailers are cursed; 47% of shoppers say that they might wait for the brand to fulfill their order, depending on how long it takes.
Fortunately, there are a few things brands can do to put consumers back under their spell. For instance, 87% of consumers say being able to call customer service to check a local store’s product availability is important. In addition, 78% of surveyed shoppers consider in-store pickup for online orders important, and 93% want to be able to return online orders to local stores. As the story goes, marketers who fulfill consumers’ wishes across channels will go on to live happily ever after.
We know you love infographics. Check out some more Direct Marketing News originals.
