6 Whitepaper: The Indoor Climate Solution of tomorrow for the Retail Sector Omnichannel retailing refers to using a multi- channel approach to create a unified, seamless brand experience for consumers on any platform, at any time.10 9 Source: Gallino, S. and Moreno, A., 2014. Integration of Online and Offline Channels in Retail: The Impact of Sharing Reliable Inventory Availability Information. Management Science, 60(6). 10 Source: Heitz-Spahn, S. (2013). Cross-channel free-riding consumer behavior in a multichannel environment: An investigation of shopping motives, sociodemographics and product categories. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 20(6), 570–578. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2013.07.006. 11 Source: PSFK, 2015. The Future of Retail. New York. 12 Source: Nell, C., 2013. Exploring the influence of store atmospherics on consumers’ buying behaviour in apparel retail stores: An exploratory study in Tshwane. Undergraduate. University of South Africa. 13 McAdams, D. (2008). Time is Money: Shoppers buy more when they stay longer. Portsmouth: Path Intelligence The Omnichannel Strategy Despite expert’s predictions that online shops would make physical ones redundant, the truth is that they coexist and have transformed the way customers shop nowadays (Gallino and Moreno, 2014).9 This has been popularised by the omnichannel strategy. Omnichannel retailing refers to the use of various sales channels (physical brick-and-mortar and digital storefronts) to create a unified, seamless brand experience for consumers on any platform, at any time. When done effectively, users should be able to move freely from one channel to the next, building a relationship that improves the overall buying experience and encourages brand loyalty. Companies set an omnichannel strategy so as to blur the borders among the different channels and offer the customer a seamless experience (Heitz-Spahn, 2013).10 In this context, “Brick and click” refers to the fact that retailers have presence in both online and offline environments. The seamless experience offered by brands across different shopping channels is key because a connected shopper spends 30 % more than an unconnected shopper (PSFK, 2015).11 For a market which is focusing increasingly on consumer needs and the overall customer experience, boundaries between retail segments are being blurred to provide greater comfort in retail. Within the traditional retail industry, the focus will turn to creating the right atmosphere. By increasing customers’ comfort levels, time spent in the store can be extended (Nell, 2013).12 Every 1 % increase in time spent in a store, results in 1.3 % extra spending (McAdams, 2008).13 Therefore, in the next section we will concentrate on why store atmospherics plays an important role in the brick-and- mortar store.
