According to the 2017 Digital Commerce Survey, Autonomous Fulfillment is the Next Step in Delivery as Self-driving Vehicles and Helper Robots Become More Prevalent
Boston, MA, 2017-Sep-22 — /EPR Retail News/ — According to a new report from BRP, consumers expect quick access to products and most retailers are now responding by offering same day delivery. Currently, 51% of retailers indicate they offer same day delivery, up from 16% last year, and within two years 65% plan to offer this service. Delivery via a third party service, such as Uber or Lyft has also increased (from 20% last year to 32% this year) as retailers look at different ways to offer customers the flexibility to shop, purchase and receive their goods on their own terms.
“With Amazon offering same day delivery in some markets, the push is on for retailers to get items delivered to customers as soon as possible,” said Jeffrey Neville, vice president at BRP. “Autonomous delivery and distribution are the next step with self-driving vehicles soon a reality and a few food delivery start-ups already testing the concept.”
Consumer behavior and mobile technology are dramatically changing the traditional retail model. Amazon continues to disrupt retail as it delves deeper into brick-and-mortar with the acquisition of Whole Foods. Meanwhile, bankruptcies and store closures make daily headlines, as the phrase ‘retail apocalypse’ becomes the topic of many conversations. These developments dictate retailers’ necessity to adapt to the new customer journey to accommodate the blurred lines of retail and innovative methods of shopping driven by mobile technology, artificial intelligence and rapidly changing fulfillment methods. To succeed, retailers may need to reinvent themselves to create an effective blend of the physical and digital worlds to maintain customer loyalty.
BRP conducted the 2017 Digital Commerce Benchmark Survey to understand the current retail challenges and the available opportunities for retailers as they face the future of retail. The key customer imperatives are:
- Personal – Combining behavioral, historical and customer profile data empowers retailers to deliver tailored and relevant content to meet customers’ individual needs. 38% of retailers indicate that improving personalization is a top digital customer experience priority.
- Ubiquitous – Customer expectations for a personalized, seamless experience require retailers to follow customers’ journeys as they research and shop from anywhere. 49% of retailers will offer customers the ability to ‘start anywhere, finish anywhere’ within five years.
- Unified – Retailers’ technology, processes and organization need to be unified and aligned across channels to offer a seamless and consistent customer experience. 54% of retailers indicate that creating a consistent brand experience across channels is a top priority.
To download the complete 2017 Digital Commerce Benchmark Survey, visit: https://brpconsulting.com/2017-digital-commerce-survey/.
The 2017 Customer Experience/ Unified Commerce Benchmark Survey platinum sponsor is Manhattan Associates and the gold sponsors are ECRS, Mi9 Retail, NCR, and Radial.
About BRP
BRP is an innovative retail management consulting firm dedicated to providing superior service and enduring value to our clients. BRP combines its consultants’ deep retail business knowledge and cross-functional capabilities to deliver superior design and implementation of strategy, technology, and process solutions. The firm’s unique combination of industry focus, knowledge-based approach, and rapid, end-to-end solution deployment helps clients to achieve their business potential. BRP’s consulting services include:
Strategy | Business Intelligence | Business Process Optimization | Point of Sale (POS)
Mobile POS | Payment Security | E-Commerce | Store Systems and Operations | CRM
Unified Commerce | Customer Experience | Order Management | Networks
Merchandise Management | Supply Chain | Private Equity
For more information on BRP, visit http://www.brpconsulting.com.
Source: BRP