Omnichannel investments are at the top of digital business executive’s priority lists. UK department store John Lewis, among many others, is substantially increasing its capital investment in updating technology systems and operations to support omnichannel and in-store capabilities. But it is still early days for omnichannel commerce, which will be an ongoing initiative requiring continuous optimization. To help digital business executives understand how they currently measure up against peers and competitors, Forrester has published the new omnichannel commerce benchmark as part of the Omnichannel Commerce Playbook 2016. In this new benchmark, Forrester assess 20 leading retailers across the US and UK against omnichannel best practices across key categories – online experience, channel consistency, in-store pickup, and in-store experience.

Our key findings from the survey are:

  • US Retailers Tend To Score Higher In A Wide Spectrum Of Overall Scores. US retailer scores skew toward the higher end of the wide-ranging scores in this benchmark. US retailers' omnichannel capabilities have leapfrogged those of the UK, reflecting the context of US market competition and greater investment in supporting technology.
  • A Disconnect Between Touchpoints Remains. Even retailers with higher overall omnichannel scores still have a disconnect between touchpoints to address. Consistency of experience across all touchpoints and ensuring functionality is device-agnostic remain challenges.
  • Leading Retailers Know Omnichannel Fulfillment Extends In-Store. High-performing retailers have recognized that omnichannel fulfillment does not end with making sure the item is available in-store. They implement new processes, systems, and metrics to support store colleagues to execute fast and efficient customer collection in-store.

Retailers across categories have different products and go-to-market strategies, which result in different strategic and omnichannel priorities. Forrester can help digital business teams gauge their omnichannel capabilties using the Omnichannel Commerce Functionality Benchmark. Please contact your dedicated Account Manager for further information, or indeed set up an inquiry with me and I will be happy to have a discussion.