Retail Week Indicator reviewed the top UK retailers’ cross-channel capabilities. Discover the top trends and best performing retailers.
Top 10 businesses at cross-channel retail
| Position | Retailer | Cross-channel score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Argos | 76.8 |
| 2 | Zara | 75.9 |
| 3 | Marks & Spencer | 75.6 |
| 4 | Apple | 75.0 |
| 5 | B&Q | 74.1 |
| 6 | John Lewis | 72.6 |
| 7 | Boots | 72.1 |
| 8 | Topshop | 66.5 |
| 9 | H&M | 65.3 |
| 10 | Ikea | 61.8 |
All scoring runs from 0 to 100, with 100 being the maximum score.
Taking stock – the importance of displaying in-store stock availability
As retail’s channels become increasingly obsolete, retailers are investing time and money into ensuring the consumer’s journey is as seamless as possible. This year, there was significant growth in retailers across all categories adding the capability to see in-store stock availability on websites and apps.
Last year, 26% of retailers had this functionality available on desktop. This year, another 12 including DFS, Fenwick, Game, John Lewis, Robert Dyas, Ryman and Shoezone added this feature. As a result, over a third (34%) of retailers now have this capability.
DFS has found 80% of customers research their products online before placing an order but that the majority still want to visit a product in-store before making a decision and therefore established an in-store stock check feature.
Another furniture retailer prioritising this cross-channel functionality is Ikea. “By having the in-store stock availability feature on our website, we hope to make customers’ lives that little bit easier by reassuring them that if they choose to visit their local store, we’ll have what they’re looking for,” says Ikea store fulfilment operations manager Darren Lancaster.
“We know that many of our customers use both our stores and website to complete their purchasing journey. Our stores are there to help inspire customers, whilst our website helps with fact finding and gives customers greater choice.”
There is evidence, too, that this functionality is in demand with consumers across categories, as fashion retailer Karen Millen has found 3% of users who visit a product page check in-store availability.
“It’s all part of trying to open up inventory, which is the holy grail for all of us,” says Karen Millen Coast head of digital trading Emma Bonar. “I don’t think any of us have quite got there yet but we know that customers really like it because they tell store staff that they check the function before they go to store.”
Stock checking on the move
The fashion retailer also found that this percentage rose on mobile, suggesting that customers do this stock check when near a store. Although there are no available figures, Karen Millen believes it helps to drive footfall to stores and concession partners.
“The mobile point is key for us at the moment,” says Bonar. “We are redesigning our product pages at the moment and want to start emphasising the store stock check on mobile as we’re working hard on how we are facilitating the customer journey.”
John Lewis is another retailer that has prioritised stock checking on the move: it has the function on its app and is currently considering whether to migrate it to desktop. While just a third of retailers currently offer this feature, there should be further growth next year as consumers come to expect this feature.
