Exploring Omnichannel Retailing

This book compiles the current state of knowledge on omnichannel retailing, a new concept in which all sales and interaction channels are considered together, and which aims to deliver a seamless customer experience regardless of the channel. It highlights case studies and examples related to each of the many barriers to an omnichannel approach, demonstrating not just success stories, but also failures. While omnichannel has already been recognized as an emerging retail trend, the articles in this book fill an important gap in research on the topic. Providing readers with essential insights on the omnichannel strategy and its implementation, the book will also stimulate academic discussion on this emerging trend.

Omni-Channel Retail and the Supply Chain The days of going to the local department store to buy a television, view the options available, and make a purchase now seem "quaint." The emergence of the internet, smartphones, social media, and other technologies has opened a world of new options for consumers (and businesses) to review, research, and buy online with an ever-increasing array of delivery options. The emergence of e-commerce has resulted in what is commonly known today as "omni-channel" marketing, in which customers engage with companies in a variety of ways, including in a physical store or online via websites and mobile apps. This process puts the supply chain "front and center," as consumers are increasingly demanding and browsing, buying, and returning goods through various channels, not just the traditional "brick and mortar" way. To accomplish this with high levels of service while remaining profitable requires real-time visibility of inventory across the supply chain and a single view of consumers as they continuously move from one channel to another. While this is a boon to consumers, it has made the already complex global supply chain even more challenging to manage. On top of that, the 2020 Covid19 pandemic has accelerated this omni-channel retail trend, as consumers need even more ways to order and additional options for last-mile delivery, such as curbside pickup. Covid19 has exposed a lack of flexibility and readiness, resulting in shortages of everything from toilet paper and meats to personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators. It has been a real-life example of the "bullwhip effect," where variability at the consumer end of the supply chain results in increased variability as one goes upstream towards distributors, manufacturers, and suppliers. This results in shortages, misallocations, and increased costs. No longer can a manufacturer, distributor, or retailer of consumer products just "fill the pipeline" and wait for orders to come in. Now, they must anticipate various purchases and delivery items, while at the same time minimizing costs. To do this is no easy task, requiring a Lean, agile, and responsive supply chain. Until now, there was no existing "playbook" for organizations to navigate their way through this new world. This book describes the impact of omni-channel marketing on the supply chain and logistics functions, and is intended to help management meet the needs of not only today’s ever-changing world but to anticipate what may be required in the future to achieve superior customer service, profitability, and a competitive advantage.

The world of retailing has changed dramatically in the past decade. Sales originating at online channels have been steadily increasing, and even for sales transacted at brick-and-mortar channels, a much larger fraction of sales is affected by online channels in different touch points during the customer journey. Shopper behavior and expectations have been evolving along with the growth of digital channels, challenging retailers to redesign their fulfillment and execution processes, to better serve their customers. This edited book examines the challenges and opportunities arising from the shift towards omni- channel retail. We examine these issues through the lenses of operations management, emphasizing the supply chain transformations associated with fulfilling an omni-channel demand. The book is divided into three parts. In the first part, “Omni-channel business models”, we present four studies that explore how retailers are adjusting their fundamental business models to the new omni-channel landscape. The second part, “Data-driven decisions in an omni-channel world”, includes five chapters that study the evolving data opportunities enabled by omni-channel retail and present specific examples of data-driven analyses. Finally, in the third part, “Case studies in Omni-channel retailing”, we include four studies that provide a deep dive into how specific industries, companies and markets are navigating the omni-channel world. Ultimately, this book introduces the reader to the fundamentals of operations in an omni-channel context and highlights the different innovative research ideas on the topic using a variety of methodologies.

“In Omni-Channel Retailing, Ken Wong has captured the essential technologies and tools that we use everyday to provide our customers with the products they want, through the channel that best serves their needs.” -David Markwell, Chief Technology and Analytics Officer, Loblaw Companies Ltd. “Ken Wong has crafted a formidable yet highly approachable guide that every retail business, large, medium and small, should devour. Retailers who want to do more than survive will find Omni-Channel Retailing an indispensable roadmap to winning and keeping customers.” -David Agnew, President, Seneca College “Dr. Ken Wong provides an outlook that is current to today’s Retail industry. His contemporary insights provide relevance to all those interested in learning more about Omni-Channel Retailing.” -Dr. Seung Hwan (Mark) Lee, Director, Professor, Retail Management, TRSM, Ryerson University “There is no space for ‘silos’ or functional borders within the organization. All have to be integrated to deliver the best and consistent customer experience. Omni-Channel Retailing explores this strategy, provides proven examples of success, and delivers practical advice to help today’s retailers.” -Perry Oosting, Former CEO, Clergerie Paris The COVID-19 pandemic is rewriting the rules of retail. A growing number of shoppers now rely on same-day delivery, curbside pickup, in-home/in-car delivery, and AI-powered drive-thru to get their goods. To accommodate such a paradigm shift, retailers must undertake significant changes in their business models to become digitally enabled and data-driven. Omni-Channel Retailing is written to help retailers and retail students understand the importance of delivering a seamless, cohesive, and contextual customer experience throughout the shopping journey. This book addresses today’s retailers’ challenges and gives new ideas for implementation. Relevant activities and discussion topics are included to help readers master the concepts.

Supply chain management contends with structures and processes for delivering goods and services to customers. It addresses the core functions of connected businesses to meet downstream demand. This innovative volume provides an authoritative and timely guide to the overarching issues that are ubiquitous throughout the supply chain. In particular, it addresses emerging issues that are applicable across supply chains--such as data science, financial flows, human capital, internet technologies, risk management, cyber security, and supply networks. With chapters from an international roster of leading scholars in the field, the Oxford Handbook of Supply Chain Management is a necessary resource for all students and researchers of the field as well as for forward-thinking practitioners.

“In Omni-Channel Retailing, Ken Wong has captured the essential technologies and tools that we use everyday to provide our customers with the products they want, through the channel that best serves their needs.” -David Markwell, Chief Technology and Analytics Officer, Loblaw Companies Ltd. “Ken Wong has crafted a formidable yet highly approachable guide that every retail business, large, medium and small, should devour. Retailers who want to do more than survive will find Omni-Channel Retailing an indispensable roadmap to winning and keeping customers.” -David Agnew, President, Seneca College “Dr. Ken Wong provides an outlook that is current to today’s Retail industry. His contemporary insights provide relevance to all those interested in learning more about Omni-Channel Retailing.” -Dr. Seung Hwan (Mark) Lee, Director, Professor, Retail Management, TRSM, Ryerson University “There is no space for ‘silos’ or functional borders within the organization. All have to be integrated to deliver the best and consistent customer experience. Omni-Channel Retailing explores this strategy, provides proven examples of success, and delivers practical advice to help today’s retailers.” -Perry Oosting, Former CEO, Clergerie Paris The COVID-19 pandemic is rewriting the rules of retail. A growing number of shoppers now rely on same-day delivery, curbside pickup, in-home/in-car delivery, and AI-powered drive-thru to get their goods. To accommodate such a paradigm shift, retailers must undertake significant changes in their business models to become digitally enabled and data-driven. Omni-Channel Retailing is written to help retailers and retail students understand the importance of delivering a seamless, cohesive, and contextual customer experience throughout the shopping journey. This book addresses today’s retailers’ challenges and gives new ideas for implementation. Relevant activities and discussion topics are included to help readers master the concepts.

The book is made distinctive by the presentation of practitioner insight allied with academic underpinning to create a powerful new framework of unusual breadth and depth. The book communicates contemporary retail thought from the perspectives of both senior international retailers and expert observers. It is structured around four sections: * Section I : retailing in an international context * Section II: chapters from faculty at Templeton College in Oxford outlining the key issues with review questions, discussion topics, assignments and further reading. * Section III : A unique series of in depth interviews with senior executives in the world's major retailers conducted by the Oxford Institute of Retail Management. Each case is backed up by company and sector information to demonstrate the changing retail and global environment. * Section IV: A summary and overview with further exercises assignments and recommended reading.The book is an innovative and highly effective new text for both students and executives needing to understand the complexities of the latest global developments and thinking.

By providing a comprehensive theoretical framework, this book aims to map the most relevant technologies that have the potential to reshape the retail industry. The authors demonstrate how technology is pushing innovation, and examine how smart technologies can be fruitfully applied both in-store and through digital channels. The aim of the book is to synthesise theory and practice, and provide a richer understanding of new digital opportunities offered by the ‘smart’ experience. An accessible resource for researchers who want to understand this phenomenon as part of their expertise in digital marketing and e-commerce, Smart Retailing also provides insights for practitioners who are experiencing the dramatic effects of new technologies on their retail strategies.