The Future of Retail is in the Multichannel Sector

Today the challenge for retail is to connect online, mobile and brick-and mortar business into one multichannel approach and combine it under the loyalty management umbrella. Every fifth brick-and-mortar retailer already has its own online channel. Conversely, more and more online retailers also aspire to the brick-and-mortar business – the combination between online and offline business is critical. The reason for this: today, modern customers shop on all channels of distribution and expect personalized communication.

Consumption is getting more situational and happens just in time; the number of contact points with the customer is constantly increasing. The consumer is connected, has his/her data available on a mobile device, compares prices, pays attention to ratings and recommendations, searches here and finds things there and utilizes all shopping channels while doing so. High growth rates in mobile commerce as well as mobile couponing –location-based if possible – prove this. The place where the consumer needs are supposed to be met with services is the one where the customer is presently located thanks to the market penetration of Smartphones.

Social, Local, Mobile

The mobile business registers special growth rates. For retailers, mobile business is a central driver for investments, innovations and application development. Mobile payment is also considered relevant. Overall, every other company at this point focuses on the integration of multichannel marketing in sales and communication. However, in the course of digitalization and big data, the challenge for many retailers lies in the continuous integration of processes as well as in linking customer information and inventory data across all channels. The central question is how you can sensibly and efficiently utilize the available data that serves the optimization of customer retention, successful new customer acquisition and sales figures.

Online, Offline and Mobile in a Cross-Retail Platform

This is the starting point for the open multichannel platform NuBON. NuBON combines various digital customer retention features in one application: digital receipts, digital store cards, mobile couponing and in the future mobile payment. For the latter function, the cross-channel payment provider Yapital is going to be integrated during the first half of 2014, so that customers are able to shop and pay across all channels.

The important prerequisite for the integration of NuBON by the retailer: the retailer’s POS system must have access to the customer’s shopping cart. Numerous POS suppliers have already integrated the direct NuBON interface.

The retailer obtains the required data input for instance via coupon redemptions or through its store loyalty program. When the retailer does not have one available and is hesitant to establish a standalone program, it can get a digital store card developed through NuBON – fast, easy, economically, optimally bookable with CRM system and on a cross-sector platform. The upgrade of an existing program with the digital channel is also a possibility.

This way, NuBON retailers and customers benefit at the same time: retail gets a customer retention tool with which custom-made offers and direct personal communication are possible. In a mobile application, the customer utilizes different convenient services that make shopping and everyday life easier.