“If there was ever a time for brands and businesses to integrate services across numerous digital platforms (touchpoints) to better satisfy customers’ constantly-changing wants and demands, it is now.”

The world of eCommerce is changing. You might even say that it has lost its head!

Understanding Headless Commerce Platforms

The Head (frontend)

When a client opens an app or a web runner, engages with an audio voice adjunct, an AR or VR operation, a chatbot, or indeed a game, he’s interacting with the head aka the UI ( stoner interface). The specific system of commerce is inapplicable, as what matters for businesses and brands are the platform guests use to interact with your service and the need for a head in each platform out there.

The Body (backend)

Computing needs to be done in the background along with, data analysis, and data arrangements and, principally, that’s what the body does. As the functional subcaste of the digital service being rendered, it manages the data ( storehouse and processing). Guests don’t get to interact with the body, because it stays inaccessible

The Neck (API)

The Neck (API, application programming interface) serves as the link between what the client sees and interacts with and the data the business or brand gets and organizes in the backend. In other words, the neck is the multi-platform processor acclimatized to help process data between the frontend and backend quickly.

Why Headless & Why Now?

Similar to how slow service often results in poor restaurant reviews and fewer future customers when a customer sits down to eat at a restaurant, slow site speed can lead to poor search engine rankings, lower overall site traffic, and negative user experiences.

Site Load Speed Matters!!

Here is a look at how site speed affects conversion rates;

According to a study conducted by Google/Deloitte; Improving your load time by 0.1s, boosts conversion rates by 8%

Another survey by bytes.co clearly says 56% of customers abandon websites that take more than 3 seconds to load 

&

20% users will never return to a website after a bad load time experience

Yet one more hammer on the nail was when amazon came up with a stunning piece of statistic that said A slow down of just 1 second of amazon.com would cost $1.6 billion in sales each year

 

The switch to headless commerce is critical for brands, and here are 3 reasons why:

  1. To achieve true omnichannel excellence

First and foremost, a headless content management system will assist you in getting your content to where it needs to go. For an eCommerce business, this means delivering your products, product videos, and blog posts to any new or emerging channel.

Prepare to sell through Alexa Skills, digital signage, progressive web apps, and even touchscreens in our vehicles!

The best part is that you don’t have to re-architect your platform to publish across channels if you use a natively headless commerce platform like Core dna. It’s all part of the same comprehensive, future-proof package.

  1. To Remain Competitive

Every few weeks, major commerce brands that use a traditional platform release an update. In comparison to Amazon, which deploys updates every 11.7 seconds on average, they reduce both the number and duration of outages.

You can deploy rapid updates without affecting your back-end system with a headless commerce platform. And you can easily adapt your front-end to keep up with the rapid pace of consumer technology.

When a front-end system is loosely coupled with the back-end, you don’t have to update the entire system; only a portion of it needs to be updated. As a result, you’ll be able to deliver what your customers want faster while still remaining competitive.

  1. For a much better Conversion Rate Optimization

You can experiment with different templates and approaches once you have a headless commerce system in place. For example, while running the same front-end search, you could try out a different back-end search solution.

As a result, headless commerce enables you to run continuous tests and optimization cycles, allowing you to gain a better understanding of your customers while learning at a faster rate than most retailers.

 

To sum up, headless commerce is the way of the future, and getting on board is the best option for brands and businesses.

With different types of products and customers from different places there is no one-size fit for all orders. Getting these details right is important to have options for customers. Providing various fulfillment options is one of the most important steps. While eCommerce and Online ordering have traditionally operated on shipping only, there are various options that are available today. Customers can use Curbside Pickup, Instore Pickup or even have your own crew do the local delivery. This can sometimes save a significant amount of cost when you can control these

offering various shipping options are very important as well. It is a well known fact that customers prefer to have free shipping options. While it may not be cost effective to provide free shipping options for every single order, custom shipping rules come handy in those situations. Free Shipping based on a certain threshold, Custom Shipping Rules based on Weight and specific products are very commonly used approaches which balances business and customer satisfaction.  Local businesses should be able to set up a nominal fee for local delivery along options for Delivery zones and rules.

When an order is placed it is utmost important to take care of it or keep the customer appraised of the progress. When a customer shops in store they already have the products on hand and customers are anxious to get what they bought as soon as possible. Delivery Windows , lead fulfillment times can help to set these expectations realistically as much as possible. Email Alerts or notifications will also improve when the orders are getting shipped or being processed. 

It is very important to have the order processing streamlined as business. Right from Accepting orders, Keeping track of inventory all the way to fulfillment and delivery are key steps in streamlining order processing. Usage of proper tools at each stage is important for this.

A system which can track all the inventory when an order is placed or processed is important. Most of the small and medium sized businesses use one of their locations with a shared inventory pool for the fulfillment.

Solutions such as the Orderup app which allow you to manage the fulfillment lifecycle is very important where you can see all your orders, notified and processed even without having a Point of Sale or Browser. OrderUp can print delivery receipts and even send notifications to customers as you manage your order. 

When you offer curbside delivery options it is also important to have available tools handy to support those customers. Orderup offers accepting payment using handheld devices and helps to perform contactless checkout and print/email receipt. Ability to fulfill orders, accept payments and 

last but not least automating using available tools is important to ensure that orders are processed smoothly and efficiently. Whether it is automatically printing your picklist of orders on your printers or automatically creating shipping labels using shipstation, it is very important to understand and automate wherever possible.

Checkout retailcloud’s Order Fulfillment Solution app – Click Here!

Checkout retailcloud’s eCommerce Solution – Click Here!

1. Wait ! Are you really not online yet

In the post pandemic world, it’s rare to have a business model that does not include online sales. Here are some easy steps to get your restaurant taking online orders, fast!

With other restaurants in your area taking online orders, allowing their customers to easily browse their menus and place their orders, now is the time to add this sales avenue. Most online ordering solutions provide customers with a history of their orders, as well as allow them to place orders using facebook or instagram stores. The following are important areas to think about to ensure that your online store runs efficiently for you, your staff, and customers.

2. Keep your menu simple & expressive

Complex online menus can be confusing and frustrating for customers to navigate, especially those with complex modifier and sub modifier options.  A limited selection of items, a couple of 3 course meal choices and a family pack that represent your top selling items is a great approach. 

Pictures, pictures and pictures; look at pictures that your customers have posted on Yelp or Instagram and use them (with appropriate permission, if needed) – pictures are a great way to give your customer an idea of what to expect.

Include relevant details regarding ingredients, allergies and any other information that will help customers make informed decisions.

3. Set expectations

Make sure your online system allows you to manage your pick up times, delivery areas, delivery and service fees. With different types of products and customers from different places there is no one size fit for all orders. Getting these details right is important to setting reasonable expectations for customers and making it manageable for you.

Here are a few recommendations:

a)    Providing various fulfillment options is one of the most important steps. While eCommerce and Online ordering have traditionally operated on shipping only, that has all changed in 2020. Most effective options may be Curbside Pickup, Instore Pickup or even have your own crew do the local delivery. This adds options that work well in today’s environment. 

b)    Defining various shipping rules are very important, as well. It is a known fact that customers prefer to have free shipping options. While it may not be cost effective to provide free shipping for every single order, custom shipping rules come in handy in those situations. Free Shipping based on a certain threshold, Custom Shipping Rules based on Weight and specific products are very commonly used to balance business and customer satisfaction.  Local businesses should be able to set up a nominal fee for local delivery based on delivery zones and rules.  

c)    When an order is placed it is important to keep the customer appraised of the progress. When a customer shops in store they already have the products in hand and customers are anxious to get what they bought as soon as possible. Disclosing delivery windows and lead fulfillment times can help to set these expectations realistically. Email Alerts or notification also improve the communication regarding the order.  

4. Engage your customer

Many email marketing solutions have social media engagement tools including those that allow your customers and potential customers to get to know you across all channels.  Have cross promotions between your website and your social channels, tied in with a targeted ad campaign to always stay in front of your customers. They love your brand, they want to support you during the downturn – give them opportunities to do that by purchasing from you.

5. Open a gift shop

Convert your restaurant space into a gift shop – sell wines from your wine list at a discounted price – package food in serving dishes like Staub, for an upscale heat and serve option – maybe a take out meal combined with fun reusable products like those from Aplat.  Offer meal subscription plans so your customers never have to worry about what to cook up for Wednesday night dinner, they just swing by and pick it up every week. Other interesting products like Repour or glasses for wine drinkers, or kitchen tools from GIR for the in home chef. Fun ways to add revenue and add excitement for your customers.

6. Streamline Order Processing

With orders coming in online, via the phone and walkin orders, it is important to streamline the business. From the time you accept the order, keep track of inventory all the way to fulfillment and delivery are key steps in streamlining order processing. Having the proper tools at each stage is important. 

a)    A system which can track the inventory from the time an order is placed or processed is important. Most small and medium size businesses use one of their locations with a shared inventory pool for the fulfillment. 

b)    Solutions such as Orderup app allow you to manage the fulfillment lifecycle, to see all your orders, notify customers of the status and process even without investing in a Point of Sale or using a browser. Orderup can print delivery receipts and even send notifications to customers as you manage your order.  

c)     When you offer curbside delivery options, tools should be automated to support the option of payment at pickup. Orderup offers payment acceptance using handheld devices with contactless checkout and print or email receipt 

d)    Last, but not least, look at automating using available tools to ensure that orders are processed smoothly and efficiently. Whether it is automatically printing your picklist of orders on your kitchen printer or automatically creating shipping labels and using shipstation, it is important to understand where efficiencies can be improved and automate wherever possible.   

Steps taken now, will help your restaurant success during these challenging times and prosper in the future, as customers will demand these new approaches to ordering and restaurant services beyond the near term situation. Embrace the changes in customer expectations to improve and success for years to come.

Checkout retailcloud’s Online Ordering System for Restaurants – Click Here!

Checkout retailcloud’s Fulfillment Solution app – Click Here!

Checkout retailcloud’s eCommerce Solution – Click Here!

 

forrester

Is mobile an effective sales channel for retail?

Given that Forrester states consumers have spent $60 billion from mobile phones in 2016 alone and have influenced over $1 trillion dollars in brick and mortar sales, that question may have to be marked “Answered and Resolved!”

No doubt you have seen the various posts on the demise of bricks and mortar retail over the past few months; however, there are some conflicting stats.  Accenture surveyed nearly 10,000 consumers and found that while social media is the most preferred method of purchasing for millennials and post millennials, for 77% of them, bricks and mortar were preferred.

This being a generation that has spent their entire life depending on smartphones, its inevitable that devices play a key role in finding product, comparing prices, looking for reviews and promotions; so let’s look at the top things they are doing on their devices

Where brick and mortar retail excels is in its ability to provide superior brand engagement to consumers – there is a personal authentic experience that cannot be replicated in online sales; however, giving consumers transparency to the inventory and experience from their mobile devices is a key component of this process.

Gen Z consumers are typically looking to start the shopping experience before they even walk into the store, they want a high level of engagement on the store floor but a frictionless easy checkout process. Ideally, surveys show most of them would prefer checkout directly from the devices (Amazon & Walmart are already making inroads in this capability).

While online will continue to grow, I believe that traditional brick and mortars refusal to provide their consumers a mobile interaction channel is really what will ultimately be more of a detriment than the online boom. What their customers want is the ability to provide a high engagement experience that incorporates the online and offline experience in one seamless process. Mobile will continue to be the key in enabling that process

Online-Sales

That is an amazing statistic, online marketing accounts for 8% of total retail sales while still driving online commerce companies like Amazon to a market cap of close to 400 billion only behind Apple, Google, Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway.

Technology is the what is driving this change, there is nothing quite like having a supercomputer in the palm of your hand to empower you to connect to any retailer or to find the product you are looking for. Anywhere and Anytime!

While Amazon and large retailers have had a jump start, technology has even the playing field for small retailers; they now have a chance to allow consumers to discover their product and offer the same global access to these products.

However global access is not the only or even the primary reason to get online, Millennials have expressed a clear desire to get back in stores, they want access to store data and availabilities on their phones, technology drives their entire shopping experience. To compete for the spending dollars of this fast growing segment you have to be where they are making decisions

Everyone loves lists; so here is my list of the Top 4 reasons you should have an online presence;

Product near me searches

This is one of the fastest growing type of searches. Looking for shoes, just type in shoe stores near me in a chrome browser and see where consumers are being driven to? Try it yourself, when the local listings come up which one are you likely to click on, the ones that show address and phone number or the ones that have product websites.

Insight into Inventory

Consumers can very easily see what product you carry and what is available in your stores.  With easy search capabilities they can search for any product based on their size or see all color style and size choices available for pick up today in your store.

Convenience of Purchase & Returns

Connecting your online store to your brick and mortar makes it easy to buy or exchange product from anyplace.  Connected commerce allows you to easily grow not only to an online store but to easily support and integrate all the new distribution options available in social media commerce. Remember you have to be able to show your product where consumers are buying it.

Ease of Implementation

Deploying a web store and connecting it to your physical inventory is no longer complicated,  a few simple clicks and you are up and running. For example the retailcloud web store product can deploy an online store that is fully integrated into your customer lists and inventory within a few minutes; using the launch email feature you can also trigger an email to everyone in your database telling them about the store; convenient, connected and simple. It’s why online shopping is only just scratching the surface.

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