BATTLE CREEK, MICH. โ Omni-commerce, defined by Manish Sharma of Kellanova as โintegrating all the different channels, from online to offline, into the shopper experience,โ is critical to todayโs consumers.
Mr. Sharma, vice president of omni and e-commerce at Kellanova, said omnichannel is a โbuzzword.โ
โIn todayโs world, itโs essential to have a strategy and an approach to win where shoppers are shopping by providing them an experience that helps make the buying journey easier,โ he said.
Mr. Sharma said itโs important for companies like Kellanova to have an omni approach because consumers already are shopping in an โomniโ way.
โThey are seamlessly shopping online, offline and through multiple platforms,โ he said. โSo, we need to build our thinking to meet them where they are.โ
Kellanova is the global snack business of the former Kellogg Co., which separated into two businesses โ Kellanova and WK Kellogg Co โ earlier this year. As its own entity, Kellanova has its sights set on building best-in-class commercial capabilities to meet consumers where they are, Mr. Sharma said.
โWhether itโs data, content, marketing, supply chain or our business strategies, we are continuously optimizing and building capabilities across those pillars to be ahead of the learning curve,โ he said. โWeโre also developing an ecosystem of partners to help us become a leader in the space. For example, a few key partners include retailers and technology companies. As we test and try programs with retailers, it enables us to better meet consumersโ needs and partnering with technology companies helps us to better understand whatโs coming next and integrate new tools.โ
Understanding what may be coming next is challenging, though. To keep up with evolving consumer trends Kellanova is focused on understanding behavior and predicting future behavior, Mr. Sharma said.
โThe consumer journey used to be linear, but now itโs very complex,โ he said. โShoppers have varying touch points throughout the buying journey, and that is constantly being reshaped.โ
Looking ahead, Mr. Sharma said the future of omni-commerce is โbright, frictionless, experiential and everywhere.โ
โThere is an enormous opportunity to unlock omni-channel growth as consumers migrate from store-only to omni,โ he said. โConsumers also like convenience and will consistently seek experiences that help them to shop seamlessly in an efficient manner.
โAnd stores are going to evolve into less of a place where we go to โshopโ and more into experiential centers for consumers to experience brands. Shoppers are shopping everywhere. Theyโre not only shopping in-store, but also online, via social media and through varying apps. Being where they are in each moment will help maintain relevance.โ
