Deloitte, in the following report , provides this definition of omnichannel :
“Omni-channel retailing means being available at any time anywhere, making it convenient for the customer”
The question we should therefore ask ourselves is: how can we make ourselves available by giving value to the consumer, even when they are inside the point of sale?
It is in this sense that the role of the sales assistant is absolutely primary: in fact, he is able, positively or negatively, to influence the user experience in what is one of the most important touchpoints at our disposal.
The role of the sales assistant
The relationship between consumer and seller has certainly changed over time and much of this change has occurred due to the infinite amount of information that a consumer can gather online during the initial phase of their purchasing process.
In short: if once the “power of information” was totally in the hands of the sales assistant, today the situation has completely reversed and very often the potential customer arrives at the point of sale with greater product know-how than the seller.
However, the consumer's need to feel pampered and advised has remained unchanged.
A much more prepared and demanding customer needs to receive, within a point of sale, a very high service and added value - undoubtedly higher than in the past. If this does not happen, it is clear that he will become very easy prey for online comparisons and purchases based solely on convenience.
If you don't find any added value inside the store, what should be the reason to continue to return?
If you want to learn more about list of australia consumer email how consumers' purchasing methods have changed, you can read our article on showrooming, webrooming and mobile shoppers .
The costs of training
To face this new scenario, our sales staff must be more prepared than ever.
However, we know how the costs of training a direct sales network are a very important item – but often with a hard to measure return – in the income statement of a distribution company. Furthermore, the high turnover makes this expense increasingly a cost and less and less an investment.
However, if we seriously want to adopt a complete omnichannel strategy, it is impossible to imagine that one of the fundamental links in the chain remains weak.
So what to do? Is there a solution?
New technologies
Today, there are solutions that can provide concrete support to sales staff, allowing them to recognize customers and have clear support in being able to offer them the products and services that are most likely to interest them .
