NRF, FitForCommerce Update Omnichannel Retail Index

Index Shows Improvements in Key Areas

The National Retail Federation and e-commerce consultancy FitForCommerce recently released the second edition of the Omnichannel Retail Index, and the report shows retailers have made significant progress in their omnichannel offerings since the inaugural report was issued in October.

“As technology evolves and consumers adapt to new ways of shopping, retailers continue to optimize their in-store offerings and online presence to engage consumers at every corner of their retail experience,” NRF Senior Vice President and Shop.org Executive Director Vicki Cantrell said. “This report shows that retailers are taking major steps to integrate their in-store and digital operations and narrow the difference between the two. The growing omnichannel approach to retail gives consumers familiar consistency whether they are shopping on their phone, on a tablet or laptop, or in the actual store.”

“The second Omnichannel Retail Index study proves that retailers and brands are continuing to invest in their omnichannel offerings to meet customer expectations, especially in the mobile channel,” FitForCommerce CEO Bernardine Wu said. “This is validation that omnichannel best practices are becoming table stakes. It is critical that every retailer and brand understands today’s landscape and the direction the leaders are headed in to be competitive in today’s shopping experience.”

In December, FitForCommerce used a mystery shopping method to evaluate specific omnichannel offerings and capabilities across web and mobile sites as well as in-store, repeating the technique it used last August to create the initial index. The report examines 120 retailers’ use of omnichannel strategies such as buy online/pick up in store, real-time inventory availability and mobile-optimized websites.

Key Findings Include:
Mobile

• 86 percent of retailers in the index provide a shared shopping cart from mobile to desktop, up from 84 percent
• 77 percent offer mobile-optimized email, up from 55 percent

Key areas

• 28 percent offer buy online/pick up in-store, up more than 20 percent from the summer report
• 19 percent let shoppers refine search results on a category landing page, up from 13 percent

In-store enhancements

• 33 percent offer in-store Wi-Fi, up from 26 percent
• 69 percent of store associates offer to find an item online or in another store, up from 39 percent

FitForCommerce is a leading boutique consultancy that helps hundreds of online and multichannel brands and retailers make informed digital, ecommerce and omnichannel retail investment decisions. Leveraging years of experience, state-of-the-art tools, strategic diligence and tactical planning, FitForCommerce helps brands and retailers define strategies for growth, improve the customer experience, plan and hire the right organization, and find "best fit" technology solutions. eCommerceKnowHow.com, managed by FitForCommerce, is the ecommerce industry’s most comprehensive knowledge base and educational resource. The Innovation Office, powered by FitForCommerce, curates emerging technologies to help retailers keep up with and demystify innovation in the retail space. For more information, visit FitForCommerce.com

About NRF
NRF is the world’s largest retail trade association, representing discount and department stores, home goods and specialty stores, Main Street merchants, grocers, wholesalers, chain restaurants and Internet retailers from the United States and more than 45 countries. Retail is the nation’s largest private sector employer, supporting one in four U.S. jobs – 42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.6T to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer for the nation’s economy.