NEW REPORT: Investing In Omni Solutions To Avoid The Commerce Junkyard

Get onboard the omni train or wind up in the commerce junkyard. That’s the message that consumers and their rising expectations are sending businesses that have been sitting on the omnichannel sidelines, perhaps hoping “game over” isn’t the inevitable outcome from lack of participation.

As technology brings new capabilities to companies from retail superstores to auto repair shops, omnicommerce solutions are increasingly essential for modern merchants to survive, let alone succeed. The April Omnicommerce Tracker features news on a wide range of businesses investing in omnichannel solutions.

Retail reinventions

As technology has improved, consumer expectations have risen, and merchants have had to invest in new solutions in order to keep pace with these heightened expectations.

Nieman Marcus, for one, recently invested in omnichannel technology including self-service areas, fragrance and spa rooms, interactive mirrors, and other in-store experiences. Similarly, Kohl’s CEO Kevin Mansell said at a recent industry conference that the company’s future will include an increased number of small, omnichannel tech–heavy stores.

And home improvement retailer Lowe’s is looking to augmented reality (AR) to help customers find items in-store. The company recently introduced an AR-based in-store navigation app through a partnership with provider Tango.

Automating auto repair quotes

And it isn’t just retail stores that have had to update their technology to keep up with connected customers and adapt to rapidly evolving contemporary commerce.

For this month’s Omnicommerce Tracker feature story, PYMNTS caught up with Rob Infantino, CEO of Openbay, for a discussion about the company’s new online subscription auto repair quote services. Infantino told PYMNTS that his team is working to bring auto repair shops, many of which still lack any substantial online presence, into the twenty-first century — finally. To get there, he said, the company has taken cues from other industries that are far ahead of auto repair on the Omni curve, like restaurants.

“What we want to build is something similar to what OpenTable offers for restaurants, where you can go see the schedule online and make an appointment that works for you and be confident that will be the right appointment and the repair will be done on time.”

The latest Omnicommerce Tracker features the most recent news and analysis from around the space, and a provider directory with more than 70 of the biggest players in the space, including six additions: Argos, Carrefour, Oasis, Recreational Equipment, Ridley’s Family Markets and Starbucks.

To download the April edition of the PYMNTS.com Omnicommerce Tracker, click the button below…

About The Tracker

The Vantiv Omnicommerce Tracker, powered by PYMNTS.com, features industry-spanning research and insights that arm retailers with data to make smarter decisions for enabling omnichannel commerce.