Nowadays, people use multiple channels during their shopping journey, reflecting a pattern where consumers might browse in physical stores but finalize their purchases online, or vice versa.

Such trends clearly highlight that the retail landscape isn’t just changing; it’s converging. The distinctions of past shopping habits are blurring, making way for a holistic, integrated shopping experience. For brands, it’s clear that the future is Omnichannel, and they need to adopt this retailing swiftly to stay competitive in the e-commerce market. 

What is Omnichannel Retailing?

Omnichannel retailing is the convergence of multiple shopping channels to create a unified, cohesive customer experience. In simpler terms, it’s about ensuring that whether a customer interacts with a brand through a marketplace, D2C website, or physical store, the experience is consistent and integrated.

Take Nike, for instance, which offers a ‘Reserve & Try’ feature on its mobile app. Customers can reserve products online and try them on at their nearest Nike store. This connects the digital browsing experience directly with the in-store experience.

The Two-Way Street of Omnichannel

While it’s common to hear about traditional brick-and-mortar stores increasing their online presence, just like Chumbak, the opposite is just as prevalent. Digital-first brands are recognizing the value of offline interactions and are venturing into physical retail spaces. For instance, Rare Rabbit, initially an online-only luxury designer wear brand, now operates physical storefronts where customers can try their products, bridging the gap between online and offline retail. 

The Rising Importance of Ship-From-Store

One important element of the Omnichannel strategy is the ‘ship-from-store’ fulfillment model. Essentially, this leverages physical stores as mini-warehouses. If a customer orders a product online rather than shipping from a warehouse, the item might be dispatched from a nearby store. 

With companies deploying omnichannel retail solutions to meet customer expectations, online orders are increasingly being shipped from stores as brands are able to make faster deliveries and enhance their customer buying experience. 

But why are brands gravitating towards this model? Let’s look at some of the major benefits of ship-from-store!

Operational Benefits of Ship-From-Store

By turning retail stores into fulfillment centers, this approach offers numerous operational benefits to businesses. Here are some of these advantages:

1. Inventory Optimization

One of the major benefits is the effective utilization of inventory. By using store stock to fulfill online orders, retailers can reduce excess inventory in some locations while meeting demand in others, thus minimizing stock outs or overstock situations. Also, this approach necessitates integrating inventory management systems, giving retailers real-time visibility into their stock across all locations. 

2. Reduced Shipping Costs

When products are shipped from a store closer to the customer, it reduces the overall distance a product needs to travel. This can translate into significant savings in shipping and freight costs.

3. Faster Delivery Times

Proximity to customers often means quicker delivery times. When an order is fulfilled from a local store, it can often be delivered within the same day or the next day, offering a competitive edge and enhancing customer satisfaction.

4. Enhanced Store Traffic

Offering services like buy-online-pick-up-in-store (BOPIS) or buy-online-return-in-store (BORIS) can increase foot traffic. As customers visit for pickups or returns, they might make additional in-store purchases.

Challenges in Implementing Ship-From-Store

Despite its many benefits, this fulfillment model introduces many new operational challenges to the retailer. One primary challenge is integrating multiple systems, such as in-store point-of-sale systems with online sales platforms, can be challenging. This integration is crucial for maintaining real-time inventory visibility and ensuring that online orders don’t overlap with in-store sales. 

Furthermore, manpower remains a concern. Traditional retail staff are often unprepared for the complexities of online order fulfillment, and during peak times, they might find themselves overwhelmed. This is especially true if an order is directed to a store with limited staff or even limited inventory, leading to potential delays or even mismanagement.

The Solution

Addressing these challenges requires investing in a single-window solution, encompassing both order and warehouse management capabilities that can seamlessly integrate different sales channels. Such systems are enhanced by advanced features like proximity-based order routing combined with dynamic capacity allocation. 

This means the system intelligently considers both the nearest location and the daily processing inventory and manpower capacity of each store when determining where to source orders from. This approach not only improves efficiency but also optimizes resources, making the entire process more streamlined and customer-centric.

Conclusion: Embracing the Omnichannel Shift

The ever-evolving retail landscape highlights the importance of the omnichannel approach, weaving together the distinct threads of in-store and online shopping. To thrive in this dynamic market, brands must not only acknowledge the omnichannel wave but ride it. By leveraging the right technology and adapting to changing consumer behavior, retailers can unlock different opportunities and a path for sustained success in the digital age.

Related read –
Top Omni-channel Retail Strategies
Omnichannel Retail Trends in the Middle East
How Leading Apparel Brand driving growth through Omnichannel Retailing

The post Omnichannel is the Future: Ship-From-Store Gaining Momentum appeared first on unicommerce.com.

As per a report by the IMF, the combined effect of restricted travel and tourism along with long term lockdowns as well as a rapid decrease in demands for oil together resulted in around $224 Bn revenue drop for the MENA economy.  

But as the saying goes – “When a door closes a window opens” and in this case, a rather bigger window of opportunities in the form of eCommerce opened up, which was already in the initial stages of becoming a big factor of economic growth for the GCC regions of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, etc.

While Saudi Arabia and UAE are two of the most successful MENA regions to adapt to the world of eCommerce, other countries did not take long to join in. 

Retailers from all the various regions of MENA are rapidly focusing on amplifying their eCommerce capabilities in order to render the best of services to the consumers, and in their efforts, Omnichannel has emerged to be their most reliable and most successful approach.

In this blog, we’ll take you through the entire spectrum of Omnichannel retailing, right from its core requirements to the implementation of it. Read on to get complete and thorough insights into this newest and most effective technology that not only ensures maximized sales but empowers your customers to shop from anywhere, at any time, thus increasing their loyalty towards your business or brand!

What is Omnichannel Retailing?

When eCommerce businesses or brands use multiple or all present sales channels to provide an unhindered shopping experience to their customers via any platforms, then this method is referred to as Omnichannel Retailing.

By using the Omnichannel strategy, businesses allow their consumers to hop around various shopping channels without the hassle of starting the entire shopping process from the start. 

This approach not only saves time for consumers but also builds a strong sense of comfort in them when making a purchase from a specific seller resulting in brand loyalty in the long run. 

Given how fast eCommerce is taking shape in the region, sellers and brands are focusing on marking their presence across multiple mediums of sales right from building their own websites to integrating on the top marketplaces like noon, eBay and Amazon along with using the power of social media to leverage potential buyers. 

And in order to maintain a smooth check out experience and to monitor sales across all these platforms, Omnichannel has become the go-to strategy for retailers as it provides you with the biggest advantage of being present wherever your customers are.

How Omnichannel Caters to Customer Behaviour?

Consumer behaviour, no matter where across the globe, is ever-changing and Omnichannel is one such strategy that caters to almost all the expected patterns of shopping by users. 

For the Middle East online shoppers, there is a significant behaviour that Omnichannel can solve for sellers and retailers, helping them cater to the customers in a better way.

1. Store Searching, Online Shopping – A lot of consumers in the Middle East still prefer to have the traditional touch and feel experience before buying a product and this leads to their behaviour of going to shops to try items and then ordering them later on via online shopping mediums. 

Omnichannel plays an important role in handling these customer behaviours resulting in better serviceability by retailers and a longer, stronger relationship between the consumer and the sellers.

2. Click and Collect – This behaviour in customers happens mainly when there is a rush to get an item or when they do not wish to pay for shipping charges. Shoppers usually purchase an item via online shopping channels and then go to the store to collect their items, saving them time and money.

Here, adapting an Omnichannel strategy becomes even more crucial in order to have the retail staff updated on the purchase made by a customer so that when they visit the store, they have a hassle-free experience.

3. Online Searching, Store Stopping – Exactly opposite to the first behaviour, customers sometimes browse for products online, check the collection a retailer is offering, check in-stock items and depending on their search results, they visit the stores to make a purchase. Usually, this behaviour happens when customers are not very convinced about the size or quality of a product.

In this case, Omnichannel helps in building a strong trust factor between consumers and retailers, ultimately resulting in higher sales and profits.

Why is it Important to get Omnichannel Right?

Although Omnichannel Retailing can be the game-changer for a business, not all sellers have begun using this method and the reason behind this is a lack of understanding and technological assistance to carry out this process.

In the Middle East specifically, the government within the retail industry is working on bringing more and more new technologies and user-based strategies to increase the economical infrastructure of the region and implementing a complete Omnichannel experience is their top priority.

Over 55% of the Middle Eastern population have already equipped themselves with the workings of Omnichannel shopping experience and prefer to shop from retailers and sellers who have an Omnichannel strategy in place. 

Online shoppers in the region prefer to browse through multiple sales channels as this allows them to compare prices, look for discounts and offers and much more, making Omnichannel even more attractive for them as well as more profitable for the sellers.

By adapting an Omnichannel approach to render services to the audiences, businesses can very well expect to:

• Double or Triple their Annual Revenue
• Decrease the Cost Per Customer Contact
• Increase Customer Retention Rate
• Engage with Wider Audiences
• Provide Seamless & Non-Stop Services

These factors can have a huge impact on any eCommerce business looking to expand their customer base or already serving people in the Middle East.

Post COVID restrictions were lifted, a lot of offline shops have started to see footfall similar to that in pre-covid times. Majid Al Futtaim’s Mall has seen an improvement of 80% in-store sales while their other malls have seen a recovery of about 40%, after strict safety norms and proper sanitization processes have been assured by retailers, and brands. 

According to Mr Chowhan of Lulu Groups –  “Trust is what is bringing people back into the stores.” 

Some other well-renowned retailers in the Middle East such as Alshaya, Apparel Group, Chalhoub Group and Landmark Group have also established distribution partnerships with 3rd Party eCommerce service providers while setting up their own brand websites and integrations to other marketplaces.

In addition to Majid Al Futtaim, Al Tayer and Al-Futtaim have also worked around launching their own e-commerce channels, making the Omnichannel approach in the Middle East highly recommended. 

According to a report published by Bain & Company, when asked about the importance of establishing an Omnichannel approach to a business, Patrick Chalhoub – CEO, Chalhoub Group, said  “We realized this is not about digital transformation; it’s about transformation, period.”

But even as the eCommerce players move ahead in adapting the Omnichannel Strategy, it goes without saying that there always are some key factors to look at before transforming the outlook of any business. 

What are the Challenges Associated with Omnichannel?

As per data, over 80% of users in the UAE and over 70% in Saudi Arabia already prefer Omnichannel Retail specifically for product segments of Electronics, Fashion and Home.

But even the implementation of the right Omnichannel Strategy can have some roadblocks that can be solved only with proper technological assistance!

Some of the most common challenges that sellers might encounter while transitioning into Omnichannel Retailing include:

1. Increased Cost of Operations to Tackle Multiple Sales Fronts – 

When you sell through multiple channels, the cost to meet the demands of consumers also increases and this can lead to higher operational costs as you would need to employ more warehouse and retail store staff to pick, pack and dispatch items without any errors or integrate an automated system for your inventory and warehouse management. 

2. Amplified Returns & Cancellations due to higher Sales – 

As sales increase, returns and cancellations will increase too. No matter how perfect a seller or brand’s serviceability is, these two challenges will always persist as consumers can and will order items either by mistake, make errors in choosing the right fit, or just change their minds at the last moment. 

These two challenges can make the process a little tough but using an appropriate system that not only helps in performing the right inventory, order and warehouse management but also ensure optimum Omnichannel capabilities for an e-commerce business can make a huge difference.

Biggest Omnichannel Retail Trends and Predictions

1. Marriage of Online & Offline Sales – 

It goes without saying that the biggest Omnichannel Retail Trend will be to establish an equilibrium between offline and online stores.

Focusing on amplifying the advantages of both worlds can prove to be the most effective way for sellers, retailers and brands to increase sales and maintain a sturdy relationship with their customers and virtual reality will play a vital role in helping brands achieve this.

2. Leveraging the power of Social Media – 

The next biggest Omnichannel trend to expect will be Social Media where every online business will focus on strengthening their Social Media presence as this platform can provide a customer pool like no other. 

By using social media platforms and collaborating with Influencers any e-commerce business can reach out to a wider and bigger audience that will most likely make a purchase from them. 

By curating simple yet attractive content, businesses can capture the attention of customers who would then click through a post and be redirected to the seller website where they could browse through all the products and make a hassle-free purchase.

3. Targeted Promotions for Higher Sales

By running audience-centric ads on multiple platforms will be the next ‘to do’ thing for sellers, retailers and brands. 

Targeted ads can be run by researching and maintaining customer data such as their interest, previous purchases and wishlist items which would help businesses make suggestions to the buyers as well as make them aware of any offers, or discounts being given on their preferred items.

This will ensure higher sales and also give e-commerce businesses the advantage of being always in the customer’s eyes!

4. Focus on Personalization

Although customers like to have options, too much of anything can do more harm than good and the same goes with sellers and retailers trying to gain more sales via customers.

 And so it is important to customize options and then communicate with the buyers using various methods to provide assistance to them while they look, review and purchase an item. 

Asking for the purchase requirements, running a small questionnaire, providing filtering options based on price, size, quality, etc can be really helpful in creating a wholesome and personalized experience for consumers.

Developing Your Omnichannel Strategy

The right Omnichannel Retailing Strategy will always help you keep your customers at the core of your business and give you the ease to provide better, faster and seamless services. 

Omnichannel lets you create a strong database of your customer journey and gives you the most effective methods to handle their expectations and demands which ultimately result in increased profits and overall higher ROI for your business. 

Make the most for your business by following these latest Omnichannel Retailing Trends of 2023 and get the right technology assistance to accelerate your business growth.

Explore our platforms:

• Integrated logistics management system
• Automated payment reconciliation system

Discover Unicommerce’s Success Story with Leading Brands –

• How Dubai-based Vidiwell achieved 230% sales order growth?
• How Kuwait-based Toyfull streamlined Warehouse Management Operations?
• How YZ Buyer Demonstrated 2X Growth in Sales?
• How Oryvo Achieved Maximized Efficiency and Minimized Workload?

Related read –

• How does Warehouse Management System Works?
• Role of Warehouse Management in the FMCG Industry in India
• E-commerce Apparel Industry: Trends, Challenges, Opportunities & Solutions
• Logistics vs Supply Chain Management: Key Components, Benefits, Comparison

The post Omnichannel Retail Trends in the Middle East: Get the Best of Both Worlds! appeared first on unicommerce.com.

However, physical stores will always hold a unique place in the retail industry. While digital-first brands dominate the online sphere, they are recognizing the importance of establishing their own stores and websites. Having physical stores allows customers to see and touch the products before buying them. Some people just prefer the experience of going to a store and talking to a real person.

So, while online shopping is becoming more popular, physical stores still have their place. Experts believe that the industry has adapted well to the retail challenges in India, but the transformation of consumer behavior is still ongoing. As this seismic shift has changed consumers’ buying behaviors, businesses embark on strategic technological transformations to meet the ever-increasing demand. 

But amid all these evolutions, one thing is for sure – Consumers are the driving force behind the retail industry! So what can you do to position yourself as a successful retailer in 2023?

The State of Indian Retail

In the current state of the Indian retail system, while India’s retail market is estimated to reach ~2 tn by 2032, e-commerce alone has been estimated to cross the $350 bn mark by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 23%, and have a market penetration of 12%.

Does this mean that the next five years are going to be even better for the e-commerce industry?

Well, upcoming trends keep on evolving the habits of the consumers, so you never know what could come up next. But one thing is for sure, e-commerce retail – clubbed up with traditional selling strategies – is going to be the need of the hour. This means you rather need to leverage an integrated approach to achieve success. Don’t you think so?

Let’s go a little back and understand the challenges that retailers like you have faced or are still facing and why you would need to amalgamate multiple channels altogether.

New Age Problems Faced By Retailers

Challenge #1: Fluctuation in Demand

One of the major retail challenges in India is the fluctuation in demand. Both a sudden hike and an unexpected dip in demand could create clusters and dilemmas in the minds of the sellers. Not to mention how the pandemic made it difficult for sellers to move their stock. 

To overcome this retail challenge, it is crucial to develop a strategy or system to track and monitor inventory while aligning it with market demand. This is the only way to fight the unconventional situation. Check how Mamaearth was able to create inventory reports and overcome this challenge using the robust dashboard of Unicommerce.

Challenge #2: Customer Behavioral Changes

The number of e-retailers expanded exponentially in the past years, and customers are no longer limited to one choice. In fact, now dozens of vendors sell similar products. Customers are no longer forced by ‘brand loyalty.’ 

Not only do they have a plethora of options in from of them, but innovation has also become one of the crucial components to satisfy their demands. They are constantly moving from one brand to another and are open to retailers who can serve them the best. Due to this, it has become difficult for retailers to keep old customers and optimize their sales between old and new customers.

Challenge #3: Buying Journey

Another important challenge retailers like you face nowadays is fulfilling the consumers’ expectations. As a retailer, you need to keep up with technology and create a smooth customer buying experience. We must not forget that the customer experience is not exclusive to online. 

Online and offline experiences can (and should) be complementary. Even the biggest retailer online, Amazon, understood this and has already opened a physical store, with plans to open several more. Retailers are unable to create this fluid online/offline experience for the customers. And they continue to put their channels against one another.

Challenge #4: Channel Integration

The rise in e-commerce opened up new opportunities for retailers around the world. Buying online from various marketplaces is just another channel of sales. Customers who shop online do visit brick-mortar stores. Now having an online channel for sales is something you’d want for your business.

But the real problem arises when retailers are unable to integrate multiple channels. Due to this, customers have a different experience every time they buy from you. The sellers should have a holistic view of the customers, regardless of the channel they are using.

Check out how The Man Company was able to integrate its online operations with the ERP integration (Tally) using Unicommerce.

Challenge #5: Technical Difficulties

Technology plays the biggest role in the whole process of retail. Be it handling huge amounts of data or generating invoices, adopting a technological system is a must.

Retailers today need to invest in technology that can help them handle the huge amount of data generated. Technology will help win a competitive advantage over competitors. This allows you to deliver the integrated and engaging experience your customers expect.

Challenge #6: Controlling the Quality

Associated with outbound operations, quality control is one of the most crucial aspects of retail. In many cases, it has been witnessed that while indulging in processes such as picking, packing, and shipping, warehouse managers forget to check the quality

Especially amid the pandemic, when businesses were trying their best to fulfill maximum orders with minimum staff and even today – given the aftermath of the pandemic – businesses are facing difficulties in quality control, which in turn increase the rate of order returns, resulting in high operational costs.

Omnichannel Retail – A Solution to Overcome Retail Challenges in India

To be one step ahead of your competitors, you need to change your investment strategies, including operational planning. Let’s say you’re establishing an e-commerce website while building a community over social media and branded podcasts. Do you think it’s enough in today’s timeline?

Well, no! Rather you should focus on integrating your backend operations with your marketing & branding to converge all the sales channels using a centralized system.

“Physical stores will always remain an important part of retail. However, the future belongs to the retailers that understand the omnichannel ethos and figure out how to integrate the convenience, speed, and power of e-commerce with the sensory appeal and excitement of physical stores” — Dave Cesaro, executive director, client strategy, Valassis.

While product differentiation will be the most crucial aspect, retailers need to focus on revamping their business tactics by introducing an integrated approach. Moreover, given the increasing usage of smartphones, apps, and social media, there is an alarming need for a kind of system through which your customers can communicate with you at any point in time. And that’s when the whole narrative behind Omnichannel retail takes place. But what benefits does omnichannel retail offer you?

Solution #1: Amplified Profit Margin

As mentioned above, consumers prefer those brands that give them multiple options, both in terms of sales channels and variety. And you can definitely vouch for the omnichannel retail strategy by giving a plethora of alternatives to the customers, thereby marking a sustainable and optimized revenue stream.

Solution #2: Satisfied Customers

Retaining a customer has become as difficult as acquiring a new one, if not more, especially after reviving from the hard times. While personalization and customization have become the buzzword, a majority of online players couldn’t devise a plan to incorporate them into their business strategy. Seamless cross-channel integration can help retailers create a buyer’s experience that can combat the fickle nature of today’s customers.

Solution #3: Automate Efforts

Switching to automation saves one a lot more time and effort. One of the many advantages of Omnichannel is that you can automate your operations – warehouse management, order & inventory management – and synchronize the efforts.

Solution #4: Simplify Logistics Movement

By adopting an e-commerce solution provider like Unicommerce, you can ensure smooth and easy shipping of orders. Integrate with world-class logistics players and expand the reach of your brand by delivering anywhere in the world.

Read how Unicommerce’s order and warehouse management system enabled Edamama to improve its order fulfillment and shipping processes for quick deliveries across the country.

Solution #5: Highly Immersive Buying Experience

User experience is the most crucial factor in retail as it determines the engagement and conversion of an e-commerce site. While using UX-focused features and next-gen content management capabilities, you can definitely create full-immersive shopping experiences for your shoppers.

Solution #6: Synchronized Workflows

From controlling the quality of the product to automating your cart & marketplace with inventory and multichannel order management system to understanding the levels of the inventory, you can perform anything and everything with omnichannel. Moreover, it lets you handle consumer data with ease, which can help you build a fluid experience.

Summing Up!

To overcome the retail challenges in India, an omnichannel retail strategy can be your gateway to success. Ship from the store, ordering offline-return online or vice versa, and routing online orders to offline stores are some of the services that businesses are making the most of.

By establishing your “.com” with the brick-mortar store, omnichannel retail is giving huge opportunities to the e-tailers to expand their business. So when are you planning to leverage this approach? Don’t wait up, and start now!

Discover Unicommerce’s Success Story with Leading Brands –

• Mamaearth Attained 99.99% Order Fulfillment Rate
• Plum Goodness Streamlined Inventory Operations with 69% Growth Rate in Sales
• Marico Achieved 100% Growth in Sales
• Bulbul Simplified Selling Across 200+ Vendors
• Chumbak Lifestyle Boost Sales Across 58+ Retail Stores
• TCNS Achieved 9X Growth in Sales
• Hamilton Housewares Attained 96%+ Pick Accuracy Rate
• Vidiwell Health Achieved 230% Sales Order Growth

Related read –

• FMCG Industry Challenges in India
• How does Warehouse Management System Works?
• Logistics vs Supply Chain Management
• E-commerce Apparel Industry – Trends, Challenges & Solutions
• Footwear Industry in India – Trends, Challenges & Solutions
• UniShip – Advanced Shipping Tracking Platform
• UniReco – E-commerce Marketplace Payment Reconciliation
• Key Challenges & Benefits of Marketplace Payment Reconciliation
• Benefits of Shipping Notifications

The post E-commerce Omnichannel Retail in India: Challenges & Solutions appeared first on unicommerce.com.

The post Retail & Fashion Industry in UAE – Growth, Challenges & Solutions appeared first on unicommerce.com.

E-commerce Apparel Industry in India

According to the Indian E-commerce Trends Report of Unicommerce, the online fashion and accessories industry in India witnessed an order volume growth of 20.9%, becoming the segment with the highest order volumes in FY22 as compared to the previous financial year. 

The apparel industry is known for its ability to adapt to change, with new trends and styles emerging regularly. Change has always been the wardrobe essential of this industry, happening almost every quarter of each year. This constant need for adaptation also brings its own set of challenges for the industry. 

Keeping up with the fast-paced nature of the industry can be difficult for brands and retailers, as they need to stay ahead of the latest trends and styles while also managing costs and maintaining profitability. With a rotational shift happening in the industry, Unicommerce decided to go ahead and curate e-commerce fashion trends, challenges, opportunities, and solutions that can help you manage and schedule your business action plan in 2023!

Let’s look at the growing trends, challenges, opportunities & solutions in the apparel industry.

Apparel Industry Trends

The apparel industry is constantly evolving, with new trends emerging each season. Here are a few of the key trends to watch in the industry in the coming year:

Trend #1: Fashioning the Future With Sustainability

Consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of the environmental impact of the clothing they purchase. As a result, sustainable fashion, also known as eco-fashion or ethical fashion, is becoming an increasingly important trend in the industry. 

Brands are increasingly using organic cotton, bamboo, and linen, which are grown without synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Recycled materials, such as recycled polyester and nylon, are also becoming more popular as they help to reduce waste and pollution. 

Another key aspect of sustainable fashion is the use of sustainable production methods. This includes reducing water and energy consumption, using low-impact dyes, and implementing fair labor practices. As consumers become more conscious about their purchasing power and environmental impact, it is expected that sustainable fashion production will become increasingly important.

Trend #2: Revolutionizing Fashion With Athleisure

Athleisure, a trend that combines athletic and leisure wear, has been revolutionizing the fashion industry in recent years. This trend has been driven by the increasing popularity of comfortable, functional clothing worn both in and out of the gym.

As per Statista:The sports and athleisure retail market in India was valued at 158 billion Indian rupees in financial year 2021, and estimated to grow to 402 billion rupees by financial year 2025. Footwear made up the largest chunk of the market during the measured time period, amounting to about 90 billion rupees in 2021, and projected to grow by 21 percent by 2025.

Brands are now offering a wider range of options, from performance-focused gear to more casual and street-style pieces. This has led to the creation of new styles, such as the fusion of athletic wear with formal wear, and has opened up new possibilities for fashion designers.

Another aspect of athleisure is the use of technology, such as moisture-wicking fabric and UV protection, to enhance the functionality of athletic wear. Apparel businesses are investing in research and development to create new fabrics and technologies that can improve the performance of athletic wear.  

Overall, athleisure has been a game-changer in the fashion industry, with its versatility and functionality driving the demand for athletic wear. As the trend continues to evolve, it’s likely that we’ll see more innovations in the design, materials, and technology of athletic wear, making it even more appealing to consumers.

Trend #3: Market Growth Headed by Women and Kids Wear

The shift in lifestyle and priorities of modern women is leading to a greater focus on self-awareness and appearance, driving growth in the women’s apparel market. As they are becoming more conscious of their fashion choices, the demand for trendy and fashionable clothing is increasing.

The market for kids’ wear is driven by factors such as the increasing number of working mothers and the growing trend of parents investing in high-quality clothing for their children. According to a recent report by Wazir Advisors, India’s kids’ wear market is expected to reach INR 1,23,000 Crores by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 13%. 

In terms of product segments, the market for women’s wear is segmented into ethnic wear, western wear, and lingerie. Western wear is expected to be the most lucrative segment in the women’s wear market, driven by the increasing demand for casual and formal wear. With the growth of e-commerce, the market is expected to continue growing, providing opportunities for fashion retailers and manufacturers.

Trend #4: Style and Functionality are Key to Modern Consumers’ Wardrobe

When it comes to fashion, modern consumers are looking for clothing that not only looks good but also serves a purpose. The combination of style and functionality is becoming increasingly important in today’s wardrobe. Consumers are looking for comfortable, durable, and versatile clothing that can be worn for different occasions and meet different needs.

Functionality is especially important for activewear and athleisure, as consumers seek clothing that can keep up with their busy lifestyles and support their physical activities. Fashion, on the other hand, fashion is essential in creating a unique and personal style. Consumers are looking for clothing that reflects their personal tastes and preferences and makes them stand out. 

Brands are responding to this by offering a wide range of options, from classic and timeless styles to trendy and fashion-forward pieces. As lifestyles and fashion preferences evolve, brands and retailers that understand and respond to these needs will be well-positioned to succeed in the market.

Trend #5: The Growing Era of Digital First Brands

The apparel industry is currently experiencing a shift towards digital-first brands. These brands prioritize online sales and digital marketing over traditional brick-and-mortar retail and are utilizing technology to create a seamless and personalized shopping experience for consumers.

One of the biggest advantages of digital-first brands is their ability to reach a global audience through e-commerce. These brands can sell directly to consumers, bypassing traditional retail channels and cutting down on costs. This allows them to offer a wide range of products at competitive prices.

With the advancement in technology and more people turning to the internet for fashion inspiration and shopping, digital-first brands will have a significant opportunity to thrive in the industry.

Opportunities in the Apparel Industry

The Indian textile and apparel market has significant growth potential, with the industry projected to reach $190 billion by 2025-26. To reach this target and establish a sustainable textile industry, Indian businesses must take advantage of government support schemes, meet global buyer sustainability demands, and prioritize supply chain traceability.

Government policies and regulations have directed their focus on this industry. Mr. Piyush Goyal, the Minister of Textiles, announced that the Indian government plans to create 75 textile hubs across the country. Not to mention the government has also reduced the custom duty rates on caprolactam, nylon chips, and nylon fiber and yarn to 5%. These regulations have created plenty of opportunities for the Textile and Apparel Industry in the e-commerce sector.

With lined-up opportunities, there come several challenges for simplified apparel e-commerce.

Current & Future Challenges and Problems in the Apparel Industry

The new trends, changing consumer habits, and market shifts have shed light on the new challenges the e-commerce apparel industry is facing in 2023. 

• Difficulty in managing customized order allocation and inventory sync
• Unable to align warehouse operations manually 
• The impact of COVID-19 and the need to adapt to the changing retail landscape and consumer behavior
• Inability to manage deliveries, leading to a higher % of Customer Initiated Returns (CIR)
• Hard to align multiple sales channels and offline stores alongside 
• Back-breaking for e-commerce platforms to manage multiple vendors
• Untimely and inefficient delivery of products
• No stock rotation leading to outdated stock
• The increased cost of Reverse Logistics
• The need to navigate the complex and ever-changing regulations and compliance requirements
• Poor management of returns and cancellations
• Difficulty in predicting and managing demand, inventory, and logistics

Evolving Practices as a Solution to Challenges in the Apparel Industry

Starting up your own fashion e-commerce business has never been easier, especially post the pandemic. Right from managing the inventory and warehouse operations to timely updating the digital attire of an e-commerce store, the aspects are many. But with the advancement of technology, it has become important to adopt some upcoming practices, aligning the sales with your operations.

Following are some of the upcoming e-commerce practices that act as a solution to the challenges you are witnessing during these tough times.

• Delivering Omnichannel Experiences

It has become imperative to provide customers with a seamless experience at all touchpoints. Integrating and aligning offline and online channels together helps both businesses and customers develop better relationships. Omnichannel retail offers unhindered shopping experiences to customers and helps keep the inventory and stock levels uniform. With its advanced Omnichannel solution, Unicommerce has enabled effortless business operations & tremendous growth for Iconic Fashion India. 

• Serving Directly With the D2C Business Model

D2C is quite a recent approach wherein brands deal with customers directly, eliminating intermediaries. While many new brands are adopting this strategy, some established brands are switching from traditional business models to D2C models. According to Unicommerce’s e-commerce Q3 2022 trends report, the e-commerce industry witnessed robust order volume growth of 48.3% through the brand websites, while marketplaces recorded a 21.5% order volume growth.

But the question is, what makes it so different that almost all the new brands are swearing by this approach? Well, the biggest advantage for a D2C brand is that they can shorten the time to sell the products, giving their customers a better price while earning a higher margin.  Direct to Consumer (D2C) e-commerce allows the original brand voice to come in front, giving brands better engagement with their customers. Moreover, the new-age solutions of Unicommerce are made specifically for D2C brands like Enamor, Chumbak, etc., to scale on higher revenues.

Why Unicommerce?

Unicommerce – Solutions to problems in the Textile and Garment industry

Unicommerce, the #1 cloud-based e-commerce solution, is focused on changing the face of Indian Fashion retail.  It is on a mission to automate the largely scattered apparel industry to make it technology-driven. Its Order and Warehouse Management solutions help to automate clients’ supply chain operations for both online and offline businesses (B2B and B2C). Moreover, Unicommerce comes with 200+ integrations; Cart, Marketplaces, Logistics, ERP, and POS systems to manage the needs of Wholesalers, Distributors, Retail Chains, Individual Store owners, and e-commerce sellers to increase revenue and save operations costs.

Unicommerce’s robust supply chain technology solutions have resulted in exponential business growth, & improved unit economics for over 20,000+ global marketplaces & brands across India, the Middle East, the Philippines, and Southeast Asia. Some of the notable clientele of Unicommerce in the fashion and apparel industry include TCNS Clothing Co. LTD. (W, Aurelia, Elleven), Oryvo, Brand Studio, Bestseller (Vero Moda, Jack & Jones, Only), Being Human, GAP, GANT, Crocs, etc. 

Below is a quick brief about Unicommerce’s offerings; click the links to know more in detail.

• Advanced Warehouse Management – Unicommerce helps track inventory counts and manage dispatched and allocated orders, making the flow of operations simpler and more efficient. Moreover, you get a real-time update on the entire warehouse operations across multiple locations. 
• Omnichannel Solution – Unicommerce offers an Omnichannel Solution so that you can route online orders to the nearest offline store. 
• ERP/ POS management – All the current ERP/POS systems (Tally, Base, Oracle, Navision, SAP, etc.)  get effortlessly integrated into our omnichannel software product
• Bundle Management – Unicommerce has a Bundle Management feature that lets you create combo packs while updating combo product SKUs in real-time across multiple sales channels. 
• Logistics Integration – Unicommerce helps brands reduce cancellations and returns as it automates the whole process, ensuring the right product gets shipped to the customers
• Unified Vendor Panels – With the Vendor Management solution, e-commerce fashion retailers can seamlessly manage suppliers via centralized login.
• Centralized Inventory Management – To enable more significant cost savings, the efficient Inventory Management system restricts bad stock while minimizing the risk of overselling.
• Accurate Report Analysis – Unicommerce lets you analyze and scrutinize your daily operations with its Dashboard segment. You can track the number of orders fulfilled, Sales achieved, Returns progressed, etc. 
• E-commerce Returns Management – Managing RTO and CIR are not difficult anymore. Unicommerce offers a comprehensive returns management solution through a centralized panel to manage returns across all sales channels, amplifying your overall sales profits. 
• Marketplace Integration – Having come pre-integrated with 40+ marketplaces, Unicommerce lets you sell efficiently across multiple sales channels such as Amazon, Myntra, Flipkart, etc. 
• Simplified Fulfillment – Unicommerce simplifies the process of fulfillment with its fastest and error-free order fulfillment feature.

To coincide, e-commerce brands in the fashion and apparel industry are rising. The Apparel industry is entering a phase where the opportunities are endless, provided the sector is getting constant assistance and support from the government. New and updated practices are required to address the rising challenges. However, online fashion brands must reorganize their business model to cater to evolving demands of the competitive business environment.

Explore our platforms:

• Logistics Tracking and Returns Management Platform
• Automate Reconciliation of Orders, Returns and Payments

Related read –

• FMCG Industry challenges in India
• Healthcare Industry: Trends, Challenges, Opportunities & Solutions
• What is Warehouse Management System?
• Logistics vs Supply Chain Management
• How is Batch Management Critical in Warehouse Operations?
• Top 7 Challenges of Order Management System in E-commerce
• Simplifying Receiving and Putaway Operations of Warehouse

Uncover Leading Brands Success with Unicommerce! –

• Mamaearth Attained 99.99% Order Fulfillment Rate
• Upscalio Achieved a 99%+ Order Fulfillment Rate with 100%+ Order Growth
• Dhani Healthcare Streamlined Operations Across 166 Facilities
• Urban Company Achieved 8X Growth in Sales Volume
• Plum Goodness Streamlined Inventory Operations with 69% Growth Rate in Sales
• Marico Achieved 100% Growth in Sales
• Bulbul Simplified Selling Across 200+ Vendors
• Chumbak Lifestyle Boost Sales Across 58+ Retail Stores
• TCNS Achieved 9X Growth in Sales
• Hamilton Housewares Attained 96%+ Pick Accuracy Rate

The post E-commerce Apparel Industry in India: Trends, Challenges, Opportunities & Solutions appeared first on unicommerce.com.

This is where the concept of “omnichannel order management” comes into play. It’s a strategic approach that empowers e-commerce retailers to thrive in an interconnected retail ecosystem. It’s about breaking down the barriers between online and offline sales channels, giving customers the freedom to shop where, when, and how they prefer while ensuring that the order fulfillment process remains efficient and accurate.

Let’s start with understanding the basics of omnichannel order management!

What is Omnichannel Order Management?

Omnichannel Order Management is a holistic approach to handling and fulfilling customer orders across all available sales channels in a seamless and coordinated manner. It’s a strategy and a set of processes that enable businesses to provide a consistent and personalized shopping experience for customers, regardless of whether they are shopping online, in a physical store, through a mobile app, or via any other sales channel.

Key components of Omnichannel Order Management include:

1. Seamless Integrations: It’s crucial for a brand that all sales channels, including marketplaces, D2C websites, and physical stores, are integrated seamlessly. This means that customer data, order history, and inventory information are shared and updated across the board in real time. Some marketplaces like Nykaa and Mynta, India’s leading beauty and fashion retailers, have successfully implemented Nykaa Omni and Myntra Omni to bridge the gap between their online and offline presence.
2. Unified Inventory Management: Omnichannel order management systems provide a real-time view of inventory across all channels. Brands can use this unified inventory data to prevent over-promising or under-delivering on product availability. This ensures that customers have accurate information about product availability and allows for efficient order routing. 
3. Order Fulfillment Optimization: This involves intelligent order routing and allocation, ensuring that orders are fulfilled from the most appropriate location, whether it’s a warehouse, a physical store, or a distribution center. This helps the brands to reduce shipping costs and delivery times.
4. Customer-Centric Approach: Omnichannel order management focuses on meeting customer preferences. It allows brands to provide preferred fulfillment options, such as buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS), or ship to home. It also enables customers to return or exchange items through their preferred channel.
5. Efficient Returns and Exchanges: The system makes it easy for customers to return or exchange products, regardless of where they made the original purchase. Using an advanced omnichannel system, brands like TCNS effortlessly monitored reverse pickups, returns, and cancellation statuses in real-time. This not only made managing customer refunds more efficient but also fortified customer trust and satisfaction.

What are the Benefits of Using Omnichannel Order Management?

Here are the compelling benefits that Omnichannel Order Management offers to sellers.

1. Enhanced Customer Experience

Omnichannel Order Management acts as a force that integrates all sales channels, offering customers a unified, seamless shopping experience. Customers can buy online, pick up in-store, or get items delivered to their doorstep with ease. Each touchpoint is interconnected, delivering a cohesive and streamlined customer journey that boosts satisfaction and loyalty.

Take Chumbak, for instance; through the deployment of omni-enabled solutions, they harmonized their inventory management across both brick-and-mortar outlets and warehouses. This allowed the brand to successfully translate its vision into reality, presenting end consumers with an impeccable omnichannel experience.

2. Inventory Optimization

For sellers, managing inventory efficiently across multiple channels can be a daunting task. Omnichannel Order Management simplifies this process, offering real-time insights into inventory levels. For example, consider a seller who operates on marketplaces (Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, etc.), custom websites, and physical retail stores. Omnichannel Order Management enables the seller to have a clear, up-to-the-minute view of their inventory across all sales channels. 

Moreover, the system can automatically adjust inventory levels and order routing strategies based on demand fluctuations, ensuring that products are always available where they are needed most. This not only reduces the risk of overstocking or stockouts but also enhances customer satisfaction by ensuring products are readily accessible.

3. Order Fulfillment Accuracy and Efficiency

Precision and efficiency in order fulfillment are essential in this dynamic e-commerce ecosystem. Omnichannel Order Management Systems play an important role in achieving these goals by seamlessly integrating various distribution channels. When implemented effectively, OMS systems bring real-time inventory management, ensuring customers can only order available products, thereby preventing backorders and reducing cancellations.

The system intelligently routes orders to the most suitable fulfillment centers, enhancing shipping speed and cost-effectiveness. Whether it’s traditional warehouse fulfillment, in-store pickups, home deliveries, or a hybrid approach, an OMS ensures that all these channels work together seamlessly. This integration creates a unified and streamlined customer experience, as customers can choose their preferred fulfillment method, confident that their orders will be processed accurately. 

4. Data Analytics and Insights

Managing data from multiple channels can be challenging for brands due to variations in the report formats of each channel. Nevertheless, Omnichannel Order Management offers sellers access to an abundance of data, including the ability to generate reports such as sale order reports, channel performance reports, and more. With easy-to-read reports, sellers can view centralized data, offering insights into customer behavior, sales trends, inventory levels, and more. 

A real-world example can be found in Rare Rabbit, a premium designer wear brand. Faced with the need to gain an understanding of their return processes, Rare Rabbit’s omnichannel system delivered Comprehensive Returns Reports. These reports not only empowered the brand with the ability to generate detailed reports for all returned orders but also provided crucial data on the number of SKUs returned to the origin in relation to the total items sold. 

5. Flexibility and Adaptability

The modern commerce landscape is dynamic. Omnichannel Order Management offers sellers the agility to adapt swiftly to market changes. Be it a sudden surge in demand, a new sales channel, or unexpected disruptions, sellers can navigate with confidence, ensuring business continuity and growth. Take the case of Mamaearth. They chose not to use the automatic inventory allocation feature for bulk orders.

Instead, their omnichannel order management system included a B2B order feature that allowed the brand to generate bulk orders by default, catering to their specific order fulfillment priorities. This decision enables the brand to manage orders containing as many as 10,000 items with ease. This type of flexibility and adaptability is essential in today’s rapidly evolving market environment. 

Embrace the Future with Omnichannel!

Embracing Omnichannel Order Management is no longer an option but a necessity for sellers aiming to thrive in the customer-centric commerce ecosystem. It offers a competitive edge, enabling businesses to deliver exceptional service, optimize operations, and harness data for strategic decision-making. As a seller, stepping into the Omnichannel realm is stepping into a world where efficiency, profitability, and exceptional customer service converge to propel your business to unprecedented heights.

Related read –

• E-commerce Omnichannel Retail in India: Challenges & Solutions
• Omnichannel is the Future: Ship-From-Store Gaining Momentum
• How did Unicommerce enable an Apparel brand to seamlessly drive business the Omnichannel Way!
• Omnichannel Retail Trends in the Middle East

The post Maximizing Efficiency: Implementing Omnichannel Order Management for E-commerce Retailers appeared first on unicommerce.com.

To enable businesses have a complete understanding of all the best possible solutions that can help them grow and scale-up profitability to larger extents, Unicommerce brings yet another unique virtual discussion for demystifying e-commerce with 2 back to back webinars getting experts to talk about best practices of Omnichannel and Direct to Consumer (D2C) E-commerce Platform.

The first webinar focuses on discussing best practices around technology, organization design, execution, metrics etc. when it comes to implementing omnichannel while the second webinar focuses on discussing best practices around product market fit, marketing, culture, marketplaces and many more such topics for building a large Direct to Consumer brand.

Happening on 24th and 25th August with the first day dedicated to Demystifying Omnichannel Best Practices and the complete order of it includes:

Webinar Agenda 

Topic:    Demystifying Omnichannel Best Practices

Timings: 24th August- 3 PM to 4 PM

Brands- Bestseller India, TCNS Clothing, and House of Anita Dongre

Speakers : 

Ranjan Sharma, CIO and Head of SCM, Bestseller

Saurabh Bansal, Head-Omni & Ecommerce, TCNS Clothing

Dipankar Sikdar, Head of E-commerce, HOAD

Why the Need for an Omnichannel Webinar?

As eCommerce businesses are adjusting to the new normal of things, the surge in demands and the increasing need to meet up to customer expectations have given way to new-age technologies shaping the industry. 

Omnichannel Retailing is one such technology solution that is changing the way eCommerce has been operating so far. The seamless management of eCommerce sales across multiple sales channels (marketplaces, own websites, exclusive store outlets, multi-brand store outlets etc.) and the associated positive impact it has on customer experience is making it one of the most sought-after solutions in the current times.

The webinar: Demystifying Omnichannel will help eCommerce businesses understand the best practices to constantly be present at every single platform where your customers exist. 

Being wherever your consumers are, gives you the opportunity to sell across channels and provide a centralized experience to your customers and that is what our esteemed speakers will educate you upon. 

What will the Omnichannel Webinar include?

As Omnichannel Retailing has become a top prerequisite for a sustainable business, our Webinar Demystifying Omnichannel Best Practices is designed to share growth levers and strategies LIVE from a single platform by the biggest Industry Leaders that sellers, retailers and brands can incorporate in order to cope with the shifting methods of doing eCommerce business. 

Apart from this, these webinars will outplay a little differently this time as we are encouraging eCommerce sellers to share their success stories of implementing and working with Omnichannel and or D2C Selling mechanisms.

The best entries done via social media channels in the form of comments will be picked up and the sellers will get a chance to share the screen with leading brands such as Bestseller India, TCNS Clothing, and House of Anita Dongre.

Why be a part of this Omnichannel Webinar?

With the chance for you to feature LIVE in the discussion, the webinar will be focusing on answering some of the major questions by the biggest names in the eCommerce industry such as:

• What are the top Omnichannel practices that worked for these leading brands in India?
• What are the key results/outcomes of implementing Omnichannel Strategy that triggered business growth post COVID-19

Attending the webinar will not only allow you to lead by example of these brands but also help you grab highly insightful knowledge about the intricacies of adapting  Omnichannel for your business, ask businesses specific questions from the experts, LIVE in session and have the complete recording of the webinar to rerun at your own time in the future.

So don’t miss out, join us LIVE on 24th August and intensify your business growth with the best Omnichannel practices and strategies at your disposal.

The post Demystifying Omnichannel: Learn Best Practices to Upscale your eCommerce Business appeared first on unicommerce.com.

Businesses will need to adapt to the new reality of consumers taking on online shopping, and expecting doorstep deliveries, to restructure their operations that’ll help them bounce back to maintain flow of profits and avoid any more distress than there already is.

Once eCommerce operations resume, companies would require strict and rapid processes to ensure no more disruption is caused in their order processing and delivery. Any more delays will straightaway shift consumer focus to competitions, making the situation much worse. 

Analyzing the situation of over 500,0000 retailers represented by Retailers Association of India (RAI), CEO Kumar Rajagopalan said “If somebody does a Rs 500 crore of turnover, the loss of sales is expected to be in the range of 50-60 percent, which could be around Rs 250-300 crore. This could be that deep”

Consumer Behaviour Indicates a Strong Need to go Omnichannel

Customers have constantly been moving to the digital databases as shopping offline is not an option due to the lockdown in place, making them rely on online platforms until the lockdown is over.

But even after the lockdown is lifted, consumers are sure to avoid physical retail due to the high possibility of being infected by a simple handshake.

And so, as customers find the online arena full of options and easier to handle, they are moving on to eCommerce more than ever and so the need for omnichannel solution has grown exponentially worldwide in the past few months.

As per a study released by Deloitte, consumer behaviour analysis indicates that they would most certainly want out of store shopping experience, increasing the trend of no contact demands, boosting online sales further. 

Source: Deloitte

Public gathering may still be avoided to eliminate any possibility of contracting infection fueling delays in offline shopping and further increasing the need for integration of offline stores with online marketplaces.

 All of these and the constantly changing customer expectations cannot be managed if your business serves only via a single platform. 

Why is Omnichannel retailing going to be the future of offline retailers?

The changing customer preferences are necessitating the offline brands to consider their omnichannel strategy seriously and invest in omnichannel technology and supply chain.

One such case that has been seen is of the giant offline supermarket Big Bazaar, that transformed its two decade old format of offline sales into an online marketplace. 

In an article by the Economic Times, Bharati Balakrishnan, senior VP, digital commerce, Future Group said that “We were able to launch BigBazaar.com within ten days and since then we’ve scaled it to about 10,000 orders a day. We’re running online wherever we’re allowed to operate stores. Some of the stores are adopting online orders faster than others,”

At a smaller level, even the Kirana stores have transformed their day to day operations by tying up with local brands for inventory, to fulfil the demands and provide doorstep deliveries of orders.

They have enabled methods of keeping the flow of business intact by successfully merging their offline operations into an online business model.

All other brands need to learn from these examples, similar for a big retailer or small Kirana stores, that understood the importance of how a low footfall can cause inventory turnover to decrease, making it difficult to justify running stores and so, with omnichannel, they got to drive higher utilization of their outlets by shifting their business online.

As the consumption of internet grew rapidly, brands that have adapted omnichannel solutions in their model of business operations, have been able to put that need of consumers into perspective.

They managed to revamp retail behaviour and went on to engage consumers by creating an online presence via own websites or mobile apps as well as listing on omnichannel marketplaces, that provide store like experiences ensuring customers to not only stick around but also to keep the sales afloat.

How Businesses Around the World are Dealing with the Lockdown?

Businesses all around the globe, especially in the US, China and European markets have gone through or undergoing similar circumstances and the solutions that they turned to can serve as leading examples for your business to manage and better operations post the lockdown period is over to minimise losses. 

As one of the biggest retailers in the world with a huge dependency of supply from the Chinese market, Nike CEO John Donahoe threw some light on their initiatives to cope up with the outbreak and how they plan to take on the economic challenges about to occur in the next few months.

The retail outlets of Nike have been closed around the world and they currently depend on digital sales. As the operations were on hold, Nike tried to connect with the customers and incorporated a shift of inventory via technology to serve consumers demands.

Nike determined a strategy that included a 4 step process based on the impact it saw in China soon after the Coronavirus outbreak. The steps included 

• Closing retail stores until contamination due to virus stops
• Focusing on eCommerce marketplaces till the lockdown continued
• Changing business practices keeping in mind all the restrictions
• Ensuring consumer engagements digitally to increase retaining growth

How to Adapt the Omnichannel Retail Solution for Your Business?

The omnichannel retail solution is designed to not only manage sales on multiple channels but to integrate the channels together so that customers experience an uninterrupted shopping experience with businesses being able to fulfil all demands from each of their stock keeping areas.

Building an omnichannel strategy helps the brand with 360 degree operational management including focus on technology driven solutions, complete supply chain management, and organizational processes that require proper training of store staff to help be able to handle online orders, and rerouting demands by analyzing all stock keeping outlets.

With this solution, you can manage all your business operations via retail as well as online sources, increase inventory turnover, run operations with higher efficiency and experience better unit economics, reducing the damage to a significant low.

What business specifics can you get out of Omnichannel retailing?

Well, integrating your business to Omnichannel retail, can offer you a plethora of support, some of which include:

•  Integrated Communication and Analytics 
•  Maintaining Customers Relations intact no matter the mode of shopping 
•  Obtaining consistent and useful Data via every transaction 
•  Customized creation of the products as per target audiences 
•  Experienced and Service Focused Shopping 
•  Strong customer support & communication management 

This lockdown has pushed brands to emphasize on being omnipresent, and that can happen only when you have Omnichannel solutions by your side, but you don’t need to go too far to find a platform that offers you all that and more!!

Unicommerce has been a pioneer in cloud-based technology platforms that offer a highly robust OmniChannel Solution through Uniware. With Unicommerce’s omnichannel solution, your business gets an instantaneous and centralized cross-channel order and inventory management system.

These solutions empower your retail brand to engage customers with a consistent quality service across various channels of markets; online marketplaces, physical stores or a company website.

Renowned brands like Being Human, TCNS, House of Anita Dongre are managing their online and store sales through Unicommerce and have seen significant growth in their overall business.

Unicommerce’s omnichannel solution is a sophisticated retail software with key features to optimize and maintain the scale of growth for your business that includes: 

• Dynamic Order Allocation to ensure routing of online orders to nearest offline store
• Endless aisle to enable store to store transfer for avoiding lost sales
• Enabling “Deliver from Store” or “Click & Collect” for reduced logistics costs
• Seamless integration with the brand website, Point of Sale as well as ERPs to ensure full data visibility
• Ability to capture customer journey across all touchpoints for improved customer experience
• Comprehensive omnichannel returns management (Buy Online, Return Offline Or Buy Offline & Return Online)
• Centralized inventory management across offline stores, website and marketplaces
• Point of Sale solution to cater to basic retail use cases

Our Omnichannel offering aims to reduce your operational and manpower costs and help you increase your business profitability.

Learn from the experience of other businesses- 

• How Chumbak streamline retail over 100 categories across 50 stores pan India, a web store and 5+ marketplaces, all via Unicommerce’s robust omnichannel solutions

• How India’s leading eyewear marketplace is enabling Omnichannel Retailing across 400+ stores 

• How Fashion Brands AND & Global Desi are improving their Warehouse Operations experience

Know how Unicommerce can help your brand manage Online & Offline operations efficiently.

Request a Demo, now! 

The post Why Retailers Want to Implement Omnichannel Retail Strategy in COVID-19 appeared first on unicommerce.com.

Affected services may take some time to get back to the normal cycle of business even after the lockdown period is over, however, it is evident that the graph will rise once people are back to their daily routines, not being restricted to stay home anymore. And to strategize around such possible behaviour of consumers becomes highly important. 

Road to Recovery for eCommerce and Retail Industry Through Automation

It is normal for you to look for answers on how to proceed once the lockdown is over and we at Unicommerce have constantly been monitoring the situation, taking updates on all new establishments, figuring out ways by which SMEs, brands and e-commerce retailers can cope up with the effects and today we are here with 4 key strategies for you to effectively plan out a future roadmap of your business. 

Read: How Oryvo Achieved Maximized Efficiency and Minimized Workload with the Robust Technology Solutions of Unicommerce!

1. Full Automation for Supply Chain Operations

Complete automation of supply chain operations has always been a top priority for most businesses to speed up processes and reach exponential growth, but now it has turned into a necessity. 

The most important aspect of getting e-commerce businesses back on track will be strengthening of your warehouse and logistics processes. Automation of warehouse operations and real-time updates of the delivery progress helps companies focus on rapid actions ensuring there are no cases of out-of-stock items or delayed deliveries. 

Constant checks on stock-keeping units, SKUs, maintenance and uninterrupted order processing are all positive aspects of onboarding automation. Delivery of items, all the way to the last mile can be done by implementing specific logistics guidelines, which include technological driven support such as live updates and efficient tracking of products, delivery through drones managed by a team sitting remotely at various locations and turning inventory systems digital.

As ‘contactless deliveries’ have become quite the trend and a rather important practice to ensure the safety of both employees and customers, enabling doorstep deliveries will ensure happy customer experience along with loyalty attached to the brand.  This could be achieved via integrating with high-end logistics partners that ensure efficient management of orders and deliveries will prove beneficial. 

2. Focus on Shifting to Omnichannel Commerce

Omnichannel retail commerce, although new to the Indian market, has now gained traction and continues to be adopted by major brands and businesses. The lockdown phase could not have made a better case for this method to be implemented as increased demand for essential goods and services can be dealt with, only when you have a presence not only at a single platform but everywhere possible.

Prior to the lockdown, the eCommerce volumes in India have seen a 51% increase in the overall consumption, making it the highest amongst other geographies around the globe in terms of online shopping. A smartphone in every hand, with hundreds of platforms to buy from, all contributed to this huge flow of demand and consumer growth was seen throughout this time making it more critical for businesses to practice omnichannel presence to ensure a consistent approach to manage orders, inventory and retail stores post the lockdown period.

The brands that implement omnichannel retail solutions have not only seen an increase in sales, but ensure that the hyperlocal delivery model enables enhanced customer experience leading to higher brand loyalty.

3. Diversifying Supply Sources and Right Stock Prioritization for Dispatches

Halt in services has caused piled up stocks in warehouses and manufacturing plants and these stocks will need first attention as soon as operations go back to normal once the lockdown is over. To restrict having dead stocks it’ll be viable to prioritize stocks as per their date of expiration which will help in a regular order processing cycle.

Apart from that, the negative of having only a single source for supplies has resulted in stock outs for the demanded services as well, and so focusing on finding multiple sources of supply will enable you to handle situations like these in a better way in the future. 

Read: Unicommerce’s New Age D2C and Omnichannel Solutions empowered Chumbak to boost sales across 58+ Retail Stores with a 99.99%+ fulfillment rate

For you to be able to meet demands, keeping multiple sources to collect stocks from and moving them fast before they expire (especially for FMCG, Cosmetics and Pharma industry) can help you maintain uninterrupted services. 

Getting back on track, consumer’s demand will increase gradually and once that happens you will need to be all ready and updated with all your stocks to avoid any further delays. Thus, it is imperative that the warehouse management solution that you implement should provide technologically advanced features such as Batching, FIFO and Cycle Count to ensure that your warehouse operations will run smoothly and restrict any more interruptions in your business. 

4. Increase your Customer Services & Enhance Customer Experience

In these times, personalization is key. Each and every customer needs to feel that they are heard and can reach out to your business with all their issues. Customer care support has been a part of organizations for long but the change in dynamics caused by social distancing and people being locked up in their homes, the burden increases as customers would have a lot of time in their hands to register their concerns, and your lack of connection can prove fatal.

Brands need to incorporate strategies that will help them create a strong social presence and focus on developing products and services based on consumer requirements. The customer care systems will need to incorporate a deep and highly integrated backend system and this will be possible by introducing ERPs/CRMs that are deeply integrated with order and warehouse management systems (WMS) to ensure real-time communication with consumers and drive focus to what services are highly required from your end to the consumer. These practices will not only save your business but help it venture into better business opportunities.

In Conclusion 

Getting back on track will surely take time, but with the right tools and solutions by your side and a well-planned strategy plan to lead entire supply chain operations will help you build up slowly but steadily. 

Unicommerce has pledged to stand by all the MSMEs and brands to help them focus on building up while being the one-stop technology solution for all their business requirements. 

Your business should be able to focus on building up operations post the lockdown is over and the solutions provided by Unicommerce including inventory management software, warehouse management and order management, which can be easily integrated with any ERP/CRM seamlessly (currently integrated with 100+ partners) to ensure that you have complete visibility of your business operations all from a single unified platform can prove to be highly dependable.

Trending read:

• Future for E-commerce in the Apparel Industry in India [2023] – Trends, Challenges, Opportunities & Solutions
• Retail in 2023: 6 Omnichannel Tips To Overcome Retail Challenges in India!
• E-commerce Trends in Malaysia in 2023: Become a Top Seller with the Right Approach!

The post Recover from the Corona Effect: 4 Key Strategies for eCommerce and Retail Brands appeared first on unicommerce.com.

People have been asked to stay back, not go out unless really necessary and only for purchasing either staples or medicines for them, but the real problem is to maintain social distancing in this situation and the obvious constraint of stocks. Closed borders, restricted travel have all added fuel to the disruption and fulfilment of orders even to the stores, let alone to people’s homes. 

Keeping all the issues of the public in focus, the government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs announced that eCommerce operations will continue to function with the delivery of essential goods and medicines will be done on a priority basis.

Supply chain operations from manufacturing, warehousing, to delivery, of essential items will continue to function while maintaining strict guidelines of sanitation and social distancing. To ensure enough manpower for the completion of all these tasks, employees of all such supply chain facilities will be provided with special e-passes and cards for smooth movement across all state borders and within localities. 

Increased Demands bring Magnified Issues: Unicommerce’s Solutions enable better processing in these times

As the demands surged, management of entire supply chain operations took a drastic hit and grocery or pharma providers have been struggling ever since. The major issues faced by online providers include supply chain management, ensuring last-mile deliveries and restricting delayed delivered or cancelled orders. 

Apart from this, most online Grocery and Pharma platforms requested time in order to regain stocks in their warehouses to further proceed with order delivery in various parts of the nation. Looking upon the major challenges faced in these industries, Unicommerce has been working on the go to provide support to our clients and through that to the consumers to not be in a situation of disrupted supplies. 

Unicommerce’s solutions have been designed to meet the needs of all our clients in managing their order and inventory, keeping track of deliveries and ensuring smooth flow of operations throughout the order cycle. 

Listed below are the major areas of support that we have been providing our clients dealing in essential products to ensure timely delivery of supplies all around the nation. 

Read: How Dubai-based Vidiwell achieved 230% sales order growth in 7 months while implementing seamless shipping to 5+ countries in the Middle East

Manage High Surge in Demand with Stock Prioritization

Panic buying among consumers and unclear provisions of supply caused a severe surge in demands and brands providing online delivery of medicines and groceries saw sudden disruption of services. In an interview with one of the leading media houses, a spokesperson from the Big basket team said that “We need a little more time to get items back in stock as all our stocks ran out quickly following the lockdown announcement.” Also, in another article by Financial Express, CEO Grofers, as well as CEO Milkbasket, shared the same concerns of 100% surge in demands and the issues of stock management to fulfil large number of orders.

In these times, our ePharma and eGrocery clients have extensively been using our order management system & inventory management software to swiftly manage their entire surge in demand and to maintain inventory accuracy and visibility by prioritizing which orders to deliver first to avoid SLA breaches, enabling quick order processing across channels, restricting any halts in service and reducing the effects of any disruption caused in fulfilment

Stock freshness remains the top priority of ePharma and eGrocery businesses, and Unicommerce’s batching solution helps the FMCG and Pharma industry to track, allocate, return or liquidate inventory frequently with uniquely traceable parameters like expiry date, mfg date, cost of purchase, vendor batch number etc. further enabling fulfilment of orders through different picking strategies such as FIFO, FEFO etc. ensuring accurate delivery of products

To help companies with the disrupted yet rapidly increased demands of staples, caused by the announcement of a complete lockdown in the country, stock audits in warehouses through our solutions such as Cycle Count can help brands reconcile all inventory.

Restrict Operational Glitches Through Warehouse Automation

In order to process orders and fulfil deliveries, stock in warehouses play the most important role and currently the stocks have an uncertainty of being available in these warehouses as most of them are either stuck in transportation or not yet manufactured. All of these cause operational glitches. 

Unicommerce’s warehouse management system helps automate entire warehouse processes from picking, packing, dispatch to how goods are received from the suppliers in the warehouse.

Our clients who use our WMS have always had the ease to know well before about any shortages in stock, a regular cycle of rotation of orders based on their shelf lives and much more.

Here’s a glimpse of our success stories: How Unicommerce strengthened GNC India’s business operations across multiple sales channels boosting 100% fulfillment rate

Enable & Track Last-mile Deliveries 

Delivery of orders right to the last mile and on time is what these platforms are struggling to manage in these times. Real-time delivery status makes the whole process much more efficient and in these times when the orders keep shooting up and customers are anxious enough to receive their order, it becomes much more important to keep track and ensure deliveries are made to the farthest extent and faster.

To make sure you are able to get through the challenge of managing your delivery, Unicommerce gives you the opportunity to check and be updated on the real-time status of your deliveries sent through 30+ global logistics providers. This gives you the assurance of delivery being made on time and that of your customers being fully satisfied.

Make Offline Inventory available through Omnichannel Solution

This lockdown has brought us to a state of being completely cut off from the outside world and in these times offline outlets may not see customers walking in their doors for quite some time. For businesses that are not present online and have been managing only through offline channels, the road to profit may be longer than those with an online presence. Once you go omnichannel, the horizon to reach your consumers widens to a great extent.

Our omnichannel solution brings offline inventory into a centralised inventory pool and enables the retail and eCommerce operations to help brands sell across multiple channels. All the retail points receive accurate stock information and automated inventory updates to further plan their selling strategies.

The major challenges for the ePharma and eGrocery platforms can precisely be managed with the help of numerous solutions offered by Unicommmerce. Ensuring uninterrupted services amid the Coronavirus lockdown should not only be taken into account for business purposes but as a service to the entire nation. In one of his interactions, PM Shri Narendra Modi emphasised on the need of technology-driven solutions as the future of eCommerce operations and also as a huge support in such times when we all are forced to lock ourselves inside our homes and only through technology and highly advanced solutions can we continue to thrive.

The post Solutions for Online Grocery & Pharma: Unlocking Fulfillment Operational Challenges Amidst Lockdown appeared first on unicommerce.com.