We live in a connected world. 90% of consumers switch between different screens to complete tasks. And it’s not just switching devices. Many consumers have started to choose “click and collect” options to research and purchase a thing online and then collect it from the nearest store. Target, for example, was able to drive up its sales by 700% in Q2 2020 using the click and collect strategy.
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eCommerce is no longer restricted to shopping online or only through a website or an app. It is about tying together all the touchpoints that a consumer could possibly use and creating a unified experience for them. The need to make the experience consistent and all touchpoints “shoppable” has led to the rise of unified commerce. Unified commerce is about syncing all the touchpoints, sales channels, and backend operations to create a consistent experience for the consumer. With the help of unified commerce functionalities, retailers can also get access to 24/7 live data, offer personalized support, and simplify the checkout process for the consumer. It can improve the point-of-sale (POS) system by simplifying checkouts and payments option and the impact can be profound.
According to an NRF survey, 38% of retailers expect to witness an improvement in average order value and conversions by using a unified commerce platform. Most importantly, unified commerce aims at building a meaningful relationship between the retailer and the consumer by engaging throughout the buyer’s journey.
Let’s look at how eCommerce companies can step towards unified commerce.
How Can Kibo Help eCommerce Companies To Move Towards Unified Commerce?
Building an omnichannel presence can be tough. That’s why many eCommerce and retail companies rely on the power of Kibo to build that seamless experience. Kibo enables retailers and branded manufacturers to build unified consumer experiences at a low total cost of ownership and with fast time-to-market. Kibo’s capabilities have beenwell-recognized within the industry. In fact, Gartner positioned it in the leader quadrant for the third consecutive year for its personalization engine. The unified commerce experience provided by Kibo has been so effective that Kibo’s retail and eCommerce clients reported an 81% increase in revenue during holidays. They were able to generate a year-on-year increase in revenue from $261 million in 2019 to $473 million in 2020.
So, what capabilities of Kibo can eCommerce and retail companies leverage to move towards unified commerce?
Let’s find out!
1. API-first architecture
Unlike many other platforms, Kibo follows the API-first methodology. This makes it easier to build and interface with custom applications. Flawless integration with mission-critical systems such as the retailer’s CRM, CMS, and ERP becomes possible. Retailers can be assured of scalability and performance with no compromises in security. Retailers can achieve their goals and also improve customer experience across various channels. Retailers also do not have to worry about continuity in customer experience getting disrupted while updating the platform. Kibo ensures that there is no break in the customer experience while customizing or updating the platform. It enables retailers to innovate without impacting business as usual.
2. Microservices capabilities
Kibo is based on a microservices architecture. So, retailers are not tied to using all the components to build their unified commerce platform. They can choose only those that meet their specific business requirements. The best part about Kibo’s microservices is that it can be deployed on public, private, and hybrid cloud environments. Considering that it is decoupled, it offers a lot of flexibility to developers too. Developers can choose and implement those components that they need at the time. The platform can be customized the way the retailer wants. All products built using Kibo’s unified commerce platform share the same set of microservices. So, whether it is B2C eCommerce or B2B eCommerce, microservices empowers developers to shape the shopping experience in their unique way.
3. Capabilities to build an omnichannel presence
Developers can leverage the wider apps and powerful integrations provided by Kibo to enhance the capabilities of their eCommerce offering. Kibo offers applications such as import-export that allows retailers to transfer catalogs, orders, fulfillment account details, etc. to and from the Kibo tenant. It also provides retailers with access to free or paid applications in an active marketplace, such as fraud detection service, email marketing systems, etc. that can be integrated to strengthen their omnichannel capabilities.
Conclusion
The pandemic and the recent holiday shopping trends have shown that having a digital presence is as important as owning a brick-and-mortar shop. It is also equally crucial to offer flexibility to the consumers to allow them to shop as they prefer. In an age of digital customer journeys, unified commerce seems set to be the future for retailers and eCommerce companies. Companies need to choose an end-to-end platform like Kibo to create or improve the omnichannel experience they provide to shoppers to improve outcomes.
Ignitiv is a preferred service and technology partner of Kibo with a deep focus on Customer Experience solutions. We combine our expertise and Kibo’s power to help retailers and eCommerce companies build a unified commerce strategy and a winning experience for their consumers.
For more information on Ignitiv and Kibo’s solutions, please visit Kibo
