As we heard at the Digital Signage event in Munich this year, Omnichannel is no longer optional for major retailers. Now, in an Omnichannel Status Report 2016 compiled by Arvato in cooperation with Salesforce and the WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, has said that problems with out-of-date IT structures have turned out to be a major barrier. Some retailers do not even have all their data networked together and data is often only parially compatible.
“Such fragmented systems rarely permit returning an item which was purchased online in a retail store, as it is simply a matter of different, independent databases. The majority surveyed are faced with the challenge of updating their IT for Omnichannel. Not only is this time-consuming, but also often extremely costly. Essentially, retailers will gain ground by investing in performance-oriented databases, Webshops and analytics tools providing personalised customer contact”, according to Marcus Karten, VP of Global Business Development & Solution Design of Arvato SCM Solutions.
