Kuala Lumpur, 31 October 2022 – A robust omnichannel strategy can be a game changer for retailers post pandemic, according to Web Bytes Sdn Bhd (Web Bytes), whose retail customers include Tealive, Marrybrown, La Juceria, Ms. Read, Hai-O, Mydin and Alpro Pharmacy. The retail management technology company today announced it is partnering with e-commerce integration platform, Zetpy to strengthen its omnichannel offering with TikTok Shop integration and Quick Commerce (q-commerce) for retailers.
Ooi Boon Sheng, CEO of Web Bytes Sdn Bhd said, “Consumers’ buying behavior has changed dramatically in the last two years, during the pandemic as they became more adept with e-commerce and online purchases. Now, consumers are switching between online and offline buying more fluidly and they seek out multiple touchpoints toward a purchase decision. To remain competitive in this new post-pandemic era, retailers need to urgently adopt omnichannel retail to provide consumers with a seamless shopping experience across all channels, which may include physical stores, e-commerce websites, phone chats and mobile apps like Instagram and TikTok”.
According to a PwC Omnichannel Readiness 2022 study, 8 out of 10 retail segments in Malaysia ranging from clothing, personal care and grocery store to department store, scored below 50 percent in more than one omnichannel readiness category, with channel integration being one of the biggest challenges. While many retailers have incorporated the multi-channel model by selling their products on both online and offline platforms, customer, sales and inventory data are not updated in real-time and integrated across all channels. This can result in delayed or inaccurate responses to customers, deliveries delay and inability to provide customers with a personalized and consistent experience across channels.
Through Web Bytes’ omnichannel collaboration with Zetpy, retailers using Web Bytes’ cloud-based point-of-sale solution, Xilnex can seamlessly sync product details, as well as customer and inventory data on ecommerce marketplaces such as Lazada, Shopee, Zalora as well as on their own online ecommerce platforms running on Magento, Shopify and WooCommerce. This omnichannel integration has now been extended to also include the additional channel of TikTok Shop as TikTok become increasingly popular in Malaysia. In addition, through Zetpy’s q-commerce solution with its fulfilment partner, Lalamove, retailers using Xilnex can also expect to be able to provide same-day delivery to customers nearby for products ordered online.
Adrian Oh, CEO and Co-Founder of Zetpy said, “Adding the feature of TikTok Shop into the integration mix is vital as consumers influence other shoppers through user-generated content on social media and social platforms like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok plays an increasingly important role in discovery, research and conversion for products these days. The ability to provide on-demand delivery to their customers or q-commerce is another factor that we believe will help retailers stand out. This can only be achieved where there is inventory visibility across all sales platforms and warehouses through an omnichannel strategy”.
Ooi added, “Adopting an omnichannel strategy is not without its challenges. However, by addressing the common channel integration pitfalls and putting in place the right technologies and inventory management processes, retailers can provide a positive, seamless customer experience that can help boost sales, enhance customer loyalty and increase profits”.
