Discovering the top omnichannel retail trends 2023 has to offer involves analyzing the current omnichannel trends, along with some predictive analysis regarding the future of omnichannel retailing.
We’ve compiled a list of the latest omnichannel retail trends 2023 is expected to embrace, separated into the three main elements we discussed: customer experience, customization, and supply chain improvements. For each trend, we explain the retail trend and omnichannel retailing examples of companies that got this strategy right in 2022.
Customer journey comes many steps forward to omnichannel
Some of the key omnichannel retail trends 2023 offers relate to an increased awareness of the customer journey and how the different touchpoints between customers and companies impact that journey. By improving each touchpoint, companies can provide the type of customer experience that leads to improved loyalty and an increased CLV.
Omnichannel Retail Trend #1: AR/VR Shopping combined with a brick-and-mortar storefront
With 81% of shoppers now returning, at least some of the time, to shopping in person, improving brick-and-mortar touchpoints is now just as important as improving online touchpoints.
Artificial reality and virtual reality provide an avenue for melding the online and brick-and-mortar experiences, making the shopping journey feel the same regardless of how customers choose to interact with your brand.
Benefits for a retailer
Augmented reality in physical storefronts helps customers make sense of busy shelves and quickly find the products they’re looking for. It’s a way of taking the sorting options available in online stores and providing that same convenience to in-person shoppers. Benefits include:
- Improving convenience for customers
- Providing the best shopping experience
- Increasing the ability for customers to answer their own questions about products
- Increasing customer satisfaction with the products they purchase
Promising startups/companies using this trend
Zara: The clothing store Zara made headlines in April when they ditched their physical mannequins in favor of an AR app that showcased real-life models wearing their clothes.
Chanel: Makeup brand Chanel implemented the use of virtual reality when they introduced their Lipscanner app, which matches a user’s lip and skin shades to actual models to help them find the perfect hues.
Omnichannel Retail Trend #2: Virtual fitting rooms
Virtual fitting rooms can be used both online and in-person to allow customers to visualize how a piece of clothing would look on their body without ever stepping foot in a fitting room. This matters since 70% of online clothing returns were due to a poor fit.
Benefits for a retailer
- Fewer returns on clothing
- Less time spent re-hanging clothes that customers wanted to try on or tried and didn’t fit them
- No need to have a person staffing the dressing room
- Reduced chance of clothing being stolen from the dressing room
- Improved chances that customers felt their needs were met in-store and online
Promising startups/companies using this trend
Walmart’s “Be Your Own Model” Tool: Walmart recently rolled out a virtual dressing room that uses algorithms and topographical maps to accurately represent their clothing pieces’ appearance on individual body types. Users can be their own models for 270,000 different articles of clothing across their private brands and selected national brands.
Amazon’s Virtual Try-On: Amazon rolled out the VirtualTryOn program, which allows users to try on shoes and visualize them at every angle before making a purchase. Users select the VirtualTryOn app on their phone and then point it at their feet, and they will receive an augmented reality view of what shoes would look like on them before ever making a purchase.
Omnichannel Retail Trend #3: Contactless shopping
Contactless shopping uses RFID technology to tag all items in a brick-and-mortar store. When customers leave the store with the items, their account is automatically charged.
Benefits for Retailer
- Reduces shoplifting and enables hygiene regulations
- Eliminates the need to pay for check-out attendants
Promising startups/companies using this trend
Amazon Go/Amazon Fresh: Amazon has opened several small grocery stores that use contactless shopping technology, allowing customers to scan their phones on the way in and then walk out of the store without checking out. RFID technology ensures customers are only charged for the items they leave with.
Check out my source to read more omnichannel retail trends that we are expecting to see in 2023.