Unified commerce in today’s diverse retail landscape is more important than ever before. Recently, Manhattan published the findings of the industry’s first real-world analysis of Unifi ed Commerce in Specialty Retail in Europe, in partnership with Google Cloud and Zebra Technologies. This benchmark, conducted by Incisiv via actual shopping transactions, assessed three retail verticals i.e. apparel and footwear, home and DIY, and luxury, in five countries.

Based on data from actual purchases, returns and customer journeys across digital and physical channels, the benchmarking reveals common attributes of successful retailers and opportunities for retailers to improve customer value and operations. Fifty retailers were assessed, analysing more than 290 capabilities in four categories. Below are some of the key findings:

1. Unified basket: Leaders in cart and checkout understand that a unified cart or basket is a foundational capability when it comes to that all-important connection across channels; 40% of leaders show personalised promotions and offers on product description pages and cart, compared to 6% of non-leaders.

2. Guided inspiration: Leaders in search and discovery help shoppers discover meaningful products, making shoppers feel good about their purchase decisions, with 100% of leaders publishing detailed content on sustainability practices. They offer capabilities such as product recommendations, back-in-stock notifications, and product sourcing information, while 40% of leaders offered real-time inventory visibility on product detail pages and personalised recommendations on home pages.

3. Flawless fulfilment: Leaders in promising and fulfilment make sure shoppers’ product pick-up or delivery experience is as good as their shopping journey. Not only do leaders meet or beat their delivery promises consistently, they do also so while being more environmentally friendly too. Offering shoppers greater post-order flexibility, including complete or partial cancellations, and greater delivery/pick-up options are all areas leaders excel in. 60% of leaders offer shoppers the ability to cancel orders post-purchase compared to 28% of non-leaders.

4. 360-Degree service: Leaders in the service and support segment offer shoppers a wide variety of service options; from in-store assistance to call centres, social media support to live agents on their website and mobile app. Importantly though, they offer seamless continuity, consistent quality and always-on availability across channels and services. They empower shoppers to self-serve most of their service needs with 92% of Leaders supporting in order modifications, returns and exchanges via chat/call and 75% offering their customers the ability to return purchases to drop-off locations.

Leaders vs non-leaders Unified commerce adoption remains relatively low, even among retail leaders, with differentiating experiences adoption at only 40%. To achieve success in the future, retailers must reevaluate their strategy and maintain a strong focus on execution.

Scan the QR-code above to view the 2024 Unifi ed Commerce Benchmark for Specialty Retail in Europe.

Lees of download het volledige magazine op www.manh.nl.

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