Bridging online and offline data is now more important than ever, and two young co-founders, Sneh Parmar and Nafis Azad, have made it their mission to close the gap. They recently discussed innovations in direct-to-consumer (D2C) commerce with Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga that help to connect brand e-commerce with brick-and-mortar retail inventory and fulfillment.
Here are some of the key takeaways from their discussion:
Discovery Leads Shoppers To D2C Sites
As consumers increasingly discover new brands on social media, they often first land on the brand’s own D2C websites to learn about products. However, buyers may still prefer the convenience of same-day pickup or delivery from a nearby physical store location, thereby creating friction if the consumer cannot easily purchase his or her desired product from his or her retailer of choice.
Bridging The Online-Offline Gap
But technology has evolved and can now enable a brand’s website to showcase localized in-stock availability across many retailers and to drive consumers to purchase through integrated retailer websites, thereby creating a true omnichannel experience that combines the best of what a brand and a retailer have to offer, i.e. a brand’s storytelling with a retailer’s distribution density.
Data Connects The Dots
The key benefits of such an approach are that it gives consumers flexible purchasing options, brands get full visibility into their attribution data, and retailers have another outlet through which to move inventory quickly. The shared data can also be analyzed to uncover opportunities for brands and retailers to collaborate on personalized marketing, optimized distribution, and more.
Major Retailers Come on Board
Some of the historically best of the best omnichannel retailers have already started taking this approach. Companies like Sephora and Nordstrom have already embarked on this path.
The Final 411
In summary, the latest technologies that integrate local inventory data with real-time advertising sit at a crucial inflection and intersection point of D2C and brick-and-mortar retail. The the power of data connectivity to bridge online and offline commerce will only grow in importance in the years ahead, and for that reason, Omni Talk believes this a key space to watch and one that will see an accelerated levell of investment from both retailers and brands in the years ahead.