Mobile devices are driving all sorts of global traffic, a new Cisco report suggested. The study indicated the global market in 2019 will have 5.2 billion mobile users, up nearly 1 billion from 2014’s totals.

In 2014, Cisco said there were just over 4 billion mobile devices and connections on a global scale. By the end of the forecast period, this figure will nearly triple to 11.5 billion. The report added mobile connection speeds should increase from 1.7 Mbps in 2014 to 4 Mbps by 2019, with annual run rates of worldwide IP traffic expanding from 30 exabytes to 292 exabytes.

Businesses can capitalize on this trend

Companies that have yet to focus on attracting mobile audiences to their e-commerce stores or brick-and-mortar locations may want to make this a top priority the rest of 2015. A recent Adyen report found m-commerce drove roughly 26 percent of all online transactions during the fourth quarter of 2014, up 11 percent from the third quarter. Year-over-year improvements were 37 percent.

Roelant Prins, chief commercial officer at Adyen, indicated companies must possess a “mobile-first” outlook for the first quarter of this year.

We can help, schedule a demo with our sales team today: twfrance.wpengine.com

More Info: Adyen

U.S Retail Challenges

“It is scary, it is a big investment. It is scary to learn something new and change over what you are used into a new system.”

The extensive array of inventory, varied needs of order management, and complexities around the actual customer experience create a high barrier to entry for retailers. There is no guarantee that the investment will pay off, or that retailers will be able to resolve all of their issues with one system. Retailers are often hesitant to take the next step. But, the reality is that many retailers have already taken steps towards Omnichannel. Using mobile points of sale, having points of purchase on multiple channels, or using member apps to take payments or schedule orders are pieces to the puzzle. A lot of these technologies are already being used by retailers. But, they have not always worked together. Omnichannel is about creating an ecosystem where retailers can feel confident to create new solutions for their customers knowing they are backed by innovation and a secure, reliable framework for long term growth. From point of purchase to fulfillment, the process needs to be seamless, transparent and consistent to prevent friction & loss of customers in the process.

The Holistic View

“You have to be able to know your customer, you have to be able to see what they bought online, what they bought in store, their past histories, if they want to be able to return without a receipt or buy a gift card”

What Amber is referencing here is the Seamless Customer Experience. For Omnichannel retailers to succeed, they have to empower a genuine relationship with customers. Retail staff have to easily be able to access information about the customers at the POS to understand the specific customer, provide needed support and enable a seamless transaction process. This detailed view needs to be paired with analytics and consistent updates to enable an effective purchasing process. The customers needs, behaviors and orders have to be centrally monitored and accessible to reduce the friction that exists within the purchase process.

Omnichannel Drives Revenue

“Not only have sales increased because of customer experience, they are also not losing sales. They no longer have to send customers to an online location.”

Customers don’t slip through the cracks, customers want the product when they want it… they don’t want to wait until the product is available in store again. The product needs to be readily locatable, need a different size/color/style…. No problem? Having a detailed viewpoint of current inventory across warehouses, store fronts and back rooms is not optional anymore. Retailers need to instantly fulfill the product somehow, taking the purchase at the point of sale and fulfilling the order in a manner that is convenient for customers. This customer centric approach to retail is crucial for retailers to stay competitive, these processes need to be focused on the needs of consumers but supported by an extensive integration ecosystem that drives functionality and simplicity throughout the purchase process.

Teamwork Commerce + ShippyPro

Teamwork Commerce is the brain for retailers, while the solution has a wide range of features, it does not resolve every issue for every retailer, legacy systems, existing implementations and niche requirements present challenges for retailers. The need for a wide range of flexible integrations is critical. The addition of ShippyPro into the Teamwork Commerce platform was a natural choice. The solution has been whitelabelled into the Teamwork application for certain clients enabling an efficient fulfillment system, leveraging ShippyPro’s integration network to centralize shipping, easily print labels and monitor shipments at every stage using webhooks. Shippypro is the easiest way to ship, track and return your orders.

Watch the Webinar: ShippyPro + Teamwork Webinar