#Omni channel retailing is the new holy grail and challenge for retailers all across the globe. Is it simple, NO!! Does it require an organisational overhaul, YES!! Is it what the customer want’s, DEFINITELY!! Is it achievable, SURELY!!

Considering that the best #retail brands are still facing an up hill battle while trying to implement a wholistic Omni channel strategy, how do you create a wholistic shopper experience, when there are multiple channels to integrate both within and outside the organisation, policy and strategy both need to be aligned and that simply feel unsurmountable because of the sheer proportions of it all!!!

The question that i ponder is a little simpler!! Where do you start if you’re primarily a #brick & mortar retailer?

Based on a research report by PWC, which asked 1000, Indian shoppers a simple question ‘What would make your in store shopping experience better??” Their response should be our starting point to redefining our #retail experience. Most of the areas of store design and customer experience that we focus on today such as inviting store environments’, VIP programmes etc rank in the bottom 5 in terms of their priority, while the top 5 are dominated by experiences that revolve around information and convenience, such as better informed sales staff, seamless check outs and being able to easily browse a complete catalogue of the retailers product in store and personalised offers.

The way the above information can be translated by us is that, by implementing a few simple changes to your store design and IT system you could firstly create a SMARTSHOP, that could focus on improving the in store #shopping experience while forming the foundation on which the omni channel strategy can eventually be built.

A #SMARTSHOP, is essentially a store equipped with #shopfittings and fixtures that are integrated with the technology to provide both customers and customer service managers easy access to product information at the shelf itself, enable them to view a store catalogue, get product recommendations, offers and allow them to create a virtual cart, make a purchase and leave the store without ever visiting a cash desk.

What we’ve achieved in this simple change is that we’ve given the #shopper all the in store experience he values most, while significantly increasing our stores’ efficiency and possibly reducing our retail operations cost and improving the scalability of the retail model many fold.

Well, the #SMARTSALES assistant mounted onto the shelves are definitely easier to procure and programme than sales staffing and training. Besides that we can also solve a number of common operational challenges;  the fact that every product in every style and size cannot be stocked at every store is no secret, but SMARTSHOPS  can overcome this unique problem quite effortlessly, since a digital catalogue is space agnostic and it’s much cheaper to stock, slow moving SKU in a central warehouse as compared to expensive shelf space in stores. The cataloguing and self check out enables shoppers to pick up products that are not available in that store, improving the space productivity of each store and at the same time substantially reducing human dependency.

So once your SMARTSHOP is in place and running you could now work on the phase 2, which is integrating the offline with the online from an organisational stand point and once your channel partners have seen the advantages of the SMARTSHOP i’m tempted to believe that they’d be inclined to a few policy changes to accommodate your Omni channel plans.

At IFF 2016, INSYNC unveiled the #FIT-N-LIGHT SMART SHOP FIT solution, a powered shop fitting system, that provides power to LED lights integrated in shelves, touch screens and self check out kits without any visible wires.

The #INSYNC SMART SHOP FIT is ultra light and highly modular, designed specifically to suit modern retail and hence is adaptable to a range of retail categories and formats including pop up stores. The system is highly versatile, can be mounted from the wall, ceiling, can be used to create central partitions or for window display. Creating a perfect balance of form and functions best suited for a quick retail scale up.

During the #IFF Design conclave “#SMARTSHOPS for SMART Shoppers” hosted by INSYNC’s MD Mr. Huzefa Merchant and the retail veteran Mr. Prasad Mennon, we discussed the possibilities and challenges around implementing the Omni channel strategy with 15 of India’s top retail minds to conclude with some exciting and encouraging insights defining the present and future role of technology in the evolution of Brick & morter stores.

We’d highly appreciate your comments and inputs on the above matter and would love to share our insights gained from our experience at the conclave with you on the subject. Together lets build a SMARTER retail environment.