Cyber Week Takeaway: go all in on omnichannel ... or go home

Cyber Week Takeaway: go all in on omnichannel … or go home

Cyber Week Takeaway: go all in on omnichannel … or go home

As the holidays enter the final stretch, strong results from the season’s peak week show that merchants must go all-in on omnichannel implementation to meet shoppers’ expectations.

Cyber Week results, from Thanksgiving on Nov. 22 until the following Wednesday, Nov. 28, show that merchants using Kibo saw their online sales grow between 8 and 12 percent over last year. And Kibo eCommerce customers experienced a healthy 21% increase in average order volume over 2017 numbers.

To achieve this success, merchants took advantage of real-time personalization techniques and omnichannel order management – technologies that are increasingly must-haves for modern brands. A deeper dive into the numbers show that merchants who go all-in on comprehensive implementations and plan for sustained peak holiday activity are most likely to succeed in 2019 and beyond.

For maximum sales growth, personalize far beyond product page cross-sells.

Throughout Cyber Week, personalization drove peak performance for Kibo clients. On Black Friday, the average order value was 99.85% higher for purchases that included real-time product recommendations versus those without them. For the week overall, the AOV boost for recommendations was 50.79% – tangible proof of consumers’ preference for tailored shopping experiences. To make the most of the opportunity, merchants should implement personalized recommendations widely, including:

Upgrade fulfillment to handle peak weeks – not peak days.

Kibo order management clients saw an uptick of 40% in sales for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but Cyber Week overall notched still higher growth – 44%. Promotional efforts to transform red-letter sales days into week-long events are paying off, creating a high-volume period merchants must support with flawless order execution. They should:

  • Fine-tune BOPIS execution for extended timelines. Some 45% of consumers said in October they planned to use BOPIS (Buy Online, Pick-up In-Store) this season, according to Deloitte. Giving customers more time to claim orders boosts convenience, enabling them to avoid peak-day crowds.
  • Staff for the duration, not just Black Friday doorbusters. Demand for online order pickup and ship-from-store processing stays high throughout the peak week, rather than spiking for a single day; merchants must boost store staffing and invest in comprehensive training for fulfillment roles.

What are the holiday takeaways for your brand?

Photo credit: Jamie Adams – Wikicommons

Kibo Blog

Our Most Recent Blog Posts

Prepare yourself with key insights, guides, datapoints, and more. Subscribe to the Kibo Monthly Newsletter.

View all Blog Posts

woman picking up an order in store

What is BOPIS? A Breakdown of Buy Online, Pick Up In Store Services

In the ever-evolving landscape of retail, businesses should constantly seek innovative ways to adapt to changing customer needs to secure sustainable success. That’s where the phenomenon gaining prominence in retail comes in. BOPIS, a revolutionary…

oms

Order Management System: Build, Buy, or Both? 

Order management systems have undergone a transformation, evolving from mere back-office operational tools into pivotal components that significantly enhance the overall customer experience. It’s the engine that processes customer orders, manages inventory, and ensures timely…

Meet Kibo’s New Executive Leadership Team

Meet Kibo’s New Executive Leadership Team

We’d like to introduce you to Kibo’s new Executive Leadership team! Changes to our executive team were strategically made to support our company’s growth and focus on building composable solutions in eCommerce, order management, and…