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ReadersSpeak

Going omnichannel for the holidays personal needs. Here is some advice
readers of The Green Sheet can pass
N ow that autumn is upon us, retailers are preparing for the upcom- on to retailers trying to get their
ing holiday shopping season. Proper planning is the key to a suc- omnichannel strategy ready for
cessful holiday season and retailers can start organizing promotion holiday shoppers:
and fulfillment strategies now to help shoppers get everything on
their wish list quickly and conveniently in December. 1. Focus on the customer expe-
By upgrading omnichannel options like in-store pickup or same-day delivery, rience: Look for ways to make
merchants can help shoppers customize their shopping experience to fit their shopping more convenient and
enjoyable. For example, Nord-
8 strom created their Curbside
Pickup program to better serve
their busy, on-the-go shoppers.

2. Leverage technology: Provide
in-store associates with tablets
to help shoppers find products,
search reviews and order out-of-
stock products. If you have an
mPOS system, those tablets can
also allow for shoppers to pay
without lining up.

3. Walk before you run: By hav-
ing a unified, company-wide
plan and making incremental
improvements, businesses can
minimize disruption while mak-
ing improvements. It's important
to at least start doing something
so you can learn and get better at
serving clients both online and
in-store.

Bobbi Leach
FuturePay Inc.

Are your merchants
making changes?

Have your merchant customers
made any of the changes suggested
by Bobbi Leach, Chief Executive
Officer of FuturePay, in the note
featured on this page? If so, what
have they done, and what role have
you played in helping them move
toward providing consumers with a
satisfying omnichannel experience?
Also, what else are your merchants
doing now to prepare for the
upcoming holiday season? Are they
implementing new technology and
procedures, or is their POS setup
basically the same as it was last year?
We will welcome your thoughts and
perspectives on this, as well as on
other issues of particular concern to
the payments industry feet on the
street at greensheet@greensheet.com.