I like everything instant: answers to inane facts and questions; taking photos; buying books; finding a taxi; transferring money; ordering food for delivery; and even finding a date. So, I come to the subject of instant-gratification as both a technology insider and as a demanding omni-channel consumer. When retailers expanded into web and mobile channels, they added a much-needed level of convenience; but the advent of omni-channel has really made instant-gratification commerce a reality.

It was only a matter of time before retail jumped on the bandwagon. I can now find any product I want in the digital universe and, theoretically, have it delivered the same day, pick it up in store or, at a minimum, have it shipped from a store nearby versus waiting for it via ground-shipping from across the country.

However, there’s a big BUT in this next evolution of retail and that but has to do with retailers actually making omni-channel work. As a consumer and as a vendor working closely with retailers, I understand that omni-channel excellence is no easy feat. Retailers must connect store inventory with online inventory; enable store associates to fulfill and ship orders; and, overall, connect online and offline teams, which have typically operated in silos. Just getting that basic infrastructure in place is a behemoth and one of the reasons some retailers have yet to enable omni-channel in their organizations.

For those retailers leading the omni-channel revolution, I will be your most vocal advocate. However, there are a few learning lessons from my own personal shopping experiences that I think are worth calling out:

• In-store pick-up – The weather was getting better in the Bay Area – yes, that actually does happen – and I wanted to buy some patio furniture. I did some research online and found a certain DIY store was running a promotion. I found the dining set I wanted and reserved it in store at the closest location. I received the email notifying me that it was ready, and I was on my way. Four store associates and one hour later, it turns out they were out of stock in the item. Even explaining that their online system said stock coverage was good and that it was actually confirmed for pick-up didn’t seem to convince them otherwise. I don’t know whether this disconnect was due to a poor inventory tracking system or the store associates not wanting to look very hard; either way, if this retailer had connected their online and offline purchase experience better, it could have definitely improved my customer satisfaction level.
• Ship-from-store – It was approaching fall, and I wanted to refresh my shoes. I placed an order for a few pairs from a favorite retailer. Since the stock wasn’t available online, I was given the option to have them shipped from a store for free. Little did I know, it meant these would be shipped from five different stores. From the consumer side, while I was happy to be receiving the shoes no matter where they came from, tracking five different shipments wasn’t ideal. From the retailer’s perspective, this transaction was not efficient – and possibly not even profitable – considering that I didn’t pay a single shipping fee. I would dare to say that the retailer was likely unable to even connect the fact that this order was processed in this way.

It is having experienced these omni-channel misses that makes me really excited about what we’re building with Dynamic Action. We just released some new functionality in the application that will help retailers improve these disconnects in their omni-channel operations: from finding stores that are shipping at low or negative profit to identifying products that are viewed online and bought in-store. Omni-channel commerce is going to continue to evolve, but those retailers that refine their operations to ensure profitability will also win over their consumers in the end as well. Read our latest report on the 5 Critical Connections to Achieve Profitable Omni-channel Commerce  to learn more about these new capabilities and the changes you can make in your retail organization now to provide the instant gratification your customers have come to expect.