Myths and Realities of Omnichannel Retailing

With record-breaking online and mobile sales increasing each year, the first omnichannel strategy many retailers implemented included an e-commerce presence. However, some retailers, particularly those with opportunistic buying models, discovered that the unpredictability of their product buys makes it difficult to maintain accurate online inventory, thus hindering the overall shopping experience. Closeout retailer Tuesday Morning shut down its e-commerce site last year because it found it too difficult to translate its "treasure hunt" customer experience to a website. Retailers such as Tuesday Morning may choose to create online experiences for consumers which focus on providing shopping information (e.g., store locator, customer loyalty program accounts) or promotional information (e.g., product launches, sales) and still have a very successful approach to omnichannel.