Unlocking seamless retail experiences with the power of omnichannel shopping

Several articles recently suggest retailing in New Zealand is in trouble and that it is only a matter of time until retail shopping in Aotearoa is as scarce as the ill-fated broad-billed Moa as New Zealand follows the trend internationally of shopping online. 

“Not so,” says Greg Harford, CE of Retail New Zealand. In an interview with Newstalk ZB recently, Harford believes Kiwis are “omnichannel shoppers”, and New Zealand is going through an omnichannel shopping boom.

Omnichannel shopping is a retail approach that integrates various channels and touchpoints to create a seamless and cohesive shopping experience for customers. It aims to provide a consistent and integrated experience across multiple platforms, such as physical stores, online websites, mobile applications, social media, and more.

The key characteristic of omnichannel shopping is the ability for customers to interact with a retailer or brand through different channels and have a unified experience.

For example, a customer may browse products online, add items to their cart, and then choose to complete the purchase in-store or have it delivered to their home. They may also choose to research products in-store and make the final purchase online.

Omnichannel shopping recognises that customers may prefer different channels at different stages of their shopping journey. It aims to eliminate silos between channels and provide a seamless transition between them. This means customers can start their shopping experience on one channel and continue it on another without disruption.

Retailers implementing an omnichannel strategy often invest in technologies and systems that enable channel integration and synchronisation. This includes features like cross-channel inventory management, real-time product availability updates, unified customer profiles, synchronised shopping carts, and consistent branding and messaging across channels.

Omnichannel shopping aims to enhance customer convenience, provide a personalised experience, and ultimately drive customer satisfaction and loyalty. By offering a consistent and integrated shopping experience, retailers can meet the evolving expectations of modern consumers and adapt to their preferred shopping habits.

Harford believes e-commerce is almost a thing of the past, and Kiwis like to touch, feel, try products on, return them, and hold companies and products to account, which is often hard to do when purchasing products online from overseas suppliers. Harford also believes Kiwis like the convenience of buying a product immediately and engaging with others and that it is part of the “buying experience”. He also believes that social engagement and service, whether in-store or online is critical to the retail experience and that New Zealanders are not yet ready to engage fully in online shopping.

Pre-Covid, only 8% of retail spending in New Zealand was online. This peaked at 12% in 2021 and dropped slightly to 11% in 2022, putting us in the 48th largest market for eCommerce in the world. By contrast, 19.3% of retail sales in Australia in 2022 were online, making them the 13th largest eCommerce traders around the globe. 14.8% of retail sales in the US were done online in 2022, while China still holds the number one spot as the world’s most significant online shoppers.

Interestingly, the four largest online retailers in New Zealand in 2022 (in order) were Countdown, Apple, Chemist Warehouse and Farmers Trading Company.

So, its good news for New Zealand retailers as we are a nation of “omnichannel shoppers”, not “online shoppers”, meaning there is, and will be (in the immediate future at least) a place for retailers and retail stores as New Zealanders continue to use multichannel sensory experiences to purchase their products and services.

Commercial Sales & Leasing, Property Management & Building Compliance Services. We do it all!

Property Brokers Commercial property division offer a full spectrum commercial real estate service. Our commercial salespeople come from extensive business backgrounds in many different industries, and they take pride in the expert knowledge they have of the local property markets.

For more information, click here or contact us today.