
The way people shop has changed in the past few years with them becoming tech-savvy, the advent of the internet, and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Storefronts and websites are no longer the only channels that people shop. Today they also have the option of shopping through mobile apps and social media sites.
Customers are becoming more and more demanding, and are expecting a personalised, quick, and convenient shopping experience. However, a single shopping channel might not be able to provide this to every customer. This gave rise to the concept of omnichannel retail. It combines multiple online and offline channels to allow customers to choose those that enable quick purchases and offer quick deliveries. An omnichannel order management system is software that ensures efficiency in the process.
In our previous blog, we explored what benefits the system offers your business. In this blog, we have listed some of the most important features you need to consider when you are looking for one:
Customer Service
The right omnichannel order management system can help you to deliver a customer experience that increases their loyalty towards you and sets you apart from your competitors. The system should be able to provide you with customer and inventory data and allow you to track inventory in real time. This will enable you to answer customers’ queries about their orders, update them about estimated order delivery times, cancel orders or make changes to them such as adding or removing products and changing shipping modes, payment methods, shipping, and billing addresses, etc.
Cloud-Based
This is an important feature that you should look for in an omnichannel order management system. In today’s digital world, mobility is a necessity for businesses and their customers. They no longer want to be confined to desks while using electronic devices. Cloud technology, which can be accessed from mobile devices using an internet connection, offers them this mobility.
Real-Time Inventory Visibility
This feature can benefit both you and your customers. It can not only let your customers know by when they can expect their orders but also help you to forecast your inventory needs by checking your current inventory levels. By tracking your inventory, you will be able to accurately convey the stock availability status of your products to your customers and suggest to your delivery personnel the quickest delivery routes, thus increasing customer satisfaction.
Inventory Management
Inventory management is a challenge for omnichannel businesses. Any mistakes in the process can cause them huge monetary losses. The real-time inventory monitoring feature of the system can provide you with accurate data on the new stock received in the inventory and the items sold. It prevents you from overstocking/understocking the inventory and losing customers and facing losses.
Marketplace Integration
Integrating your business with reputed marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, and Flipkart is the easiest and fastest way to grow it. These platforms can increase your business’s visibility and reach by giving it access to a bigger customer base. An omnichannel order management system should be able to ease the process of integrating your business with marketplaces by syncing your inventory and customer data in real time, collecting and centralising orders from all the sites, and suggesting the closest fulfilment centers to ensure quick deliveries.