New Capgemini and GS1 US Report Reveals Imperatives for Omni-Channel Retail Strategy Adoption

“Retailers are transforming their organizations and market approaches to leverage the power of digital and satisfy the needs of the ever-changing consumer,” said Dan Albright, Senior Vice President, Capgemini Consulting. “The digital transformation journey to omni-channel is multi-faceted and requires retailers to reevaluate every aspect of how they serve the market. Leading retailers have already taken significant steps in their omni-channel journey, but there are still many objectives that must be met to continue building on recent progress. As the report reveals, the imperative for 2014 and beyond is to keep the strategy moving forward by enabling an agile infrastructure and greater inventory visibility to seamlessly serve consumers when, where, and how they shop.”

The results of the survey reveal four critical components required to help drive a successful omni-channel strategy:

1. Inventory Visibility – Inventory identification, tracking and management are the core competencies that matter most in omni-channel retailing. Supply chain visibility and inventory accuracy are foundational requirements for effective omni-channel operations and to allow the retailer to know where its inventory is at all times. New standards such as Electronic Product Code (EPC)-enabled Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) are enabling leading retailers to drive pinpoint precision in their inventory accuracy in real-time.
2. Web-Ready Products – Making products “web-ready” is an important component of a successful omni-channel retail operation, but is currently a bottleneck for many retailers. Key product information, attributes and images are not always accurate, standardized or readily available for retailers or their trading partners. However, emerging standards in this area can provide the foundation for identifying, capturing and sharing product data, providing the industry with the opportunity to collaborate on bringing products to the online marketplace faster.
3. Predictive Customer Analytics – Consumers are increasingly sharing valuable information through social data, product reviews, and online visits and purchases. Leading retailers are using predictive analytics to gain deeper insight into customer behaviors, trends and the forces of loyalty and purchase. Retailers that take advantage of sophisticated algorithms and data-mining activities—which analyze current social data, product reviews and historical facts to track shopping patterns—have a greater ability to create an individual shopping experience based on rich information sources.
4. Fulfillment Strategy – Fulfillment options need to be robust and varied for today’s “always-on, always-open” shoppers. Retailers are focused on building in-store, web-store and direct-to-consumer options and many are leveraging existing and new infrastructure in creative ways. By using their storefront locations as distribution centers, retailers are better positioned to deliver products quickly to the customer. Standards-based technology such as EPC-enabled RFID will be critical in providing the requisite level of visibility to make this a reality.

“While retailers recognize the importance of the core components of a solid omni-channel strategy, many struggle with meshing them together and developing a high-level, integrated approach that can deliver quality experiences to satisfy today’s consumers and edge out the competition,” said Melanie Nuce, Vice President of Apparel and General Merchandise, GS1 US. “The industry needs to respond to strong demand for omni-channel capabilities and adopt common standards to drive the seamless integration of these key components.”

To better understand the current state of omni-channel retail strategies through qualitative research, Capgemini Consulting and GS1 US surveyed apparel and general merchandise retail leaders, whose companies represent nearly $500 billion in U.S. sales. Interviews were conducted in person and over the phone.

For more information or to download the full report, please visit: www.capgemini-consulting.com/are-you-ready.

About Capgemini Consulting
Capgemini Consulting is the global strategy and transformation consulting organization of the Capgemini Group, specializing in advising and supporting enterprises in significant transformation, from innovative strategy to execution and with an unstinting focus on results. With the new digital economy creating significant disruptions and opportunities, our global team of over 3,600 talented individuals work with leading companies and governments to master Digital Transformation, drawing on our understanding of the digital economy and our leadership in business transformation and organizational change. Find out more at: www.capgemini-consulting.com and @CapgeminiConsul.

About Capgemini
With more than 130,000 people in over 40 countries, Capgemini is one of the world’s foremost providers of consulting, technology and outsourcing services. The Group reported 2013 global revenues of EUR 10.1 billion (more than $13 billion USD). Together with its clients, Capgemini creates and delivers business and technology solutions that fit their needs and drive the results they want. A deeply multicultural organization, Capgemini has developed its own way of working, the Collaborative Business Experience^TM, and draws on Rightshore^®, its worldwide delivery model. Learn more about us at www.capgemini.com.

Rightshore^® is a trademark belonging to Capgemini

About GS1 US
GS1 US, a member of GS1^®, is an information standards organization that brings industry communities together to solve supply-chain problems through the adoption and implementation of GS1 Standards. Nearly 300,000 businesses in 25 industries rely on GS1 US for trading-partner collaboration and for maximizing the cost effectiveness, speed, visibility, security and sustainability of their business processes. They achieve these benefits through solutions based on GS1 global unique numbering and identification systems, barcodes, Electronic Product Code-enabled RFID, data synchronization and electronic information exchange. GS1 US also manages the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code^® (UNSPSC^®). Learn more at www.GS1US.org.