What is Endless Aisle?

Endless aisle is a strategy retailers use to help in-store customers order products through an online store during their visit. It is the opposite of Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store (BOPIS), which is also known as click and collect.

Customers can order out-of-stock items that aren't available at the physical store they visited and have them shipped home directly within a few days.

Retailers often offer endless aisle service in various ways. Retail outlets have invested in kiosk systems at the counter where customers can browse the product catalog, make purchases, and have them shipped to their homes.

Alternatively, they can offer virtual carts for customers as they shop and complete the orders later. This is suitable for retailers selling heavy and huge products, including home appliances and furniture. The customer might want to look at the actual item, but it's not convenient for them to carry it home.

Benefits of Endless Aisle

A brick-and-mortar store has limited space within the store and a finite amount of shelf space. Stores can only stock a limited number of products, therefore offering endless aisle service is like carrying all your products available online to your physical store. Retail outlets can offer products beyond their space limit.

It offers fresh buying intent when a customer scrolls through the screen and gets interested in products that weren't what they were looking for initially.

Capitalize on Customer Buying Intent

Endless aisle can capitalize on customer buying intent without losing sales due to low stock. Customers enter the store with buying intent, and out-of-stock products will definitely disappoint them.

Leaving empty-handed is really an awful experience that will affect customer loyalty toward your shop.

Shoppers can now easily visit a different store if the item they're looking for is out of stock. Endless aisle ensures that if they can't find the product in-store, the shop will deliver it to their doorstep within an agreed timeframe.

Lower Inventory Risk

Inventory management is becoming a real struggle for retail outlets as customers expect as much product selection as possible. However, keeping a large number of product variants and stocks will eventually turn into a risk factor for individual shop outlets to reconsider.

With endless aisle service available, stores can have lower inventory stock without affecting customer expectations.

This approach reduces carrying costs while still providing customers with access to your full product range.

How OMS Tackles Endless Aisle Challenges

Overcoming inventory management challenges is critical in executing endless aisle service. Communication between the supply chain and retail stores can be better managed with an order management system that updates in real-time and states the real-time data about current stock.

This can prevent selling a product and then finding out it is actually out of stock later, which leads to canceled orders and frustrated customers.

Centralized Inventory Visibility

OMS can centralize inventory and orders from multiple touchpoints and track requests from different stock lists. With more than one retail store, staff can check another store's product stock in real-time accurately.

By doing this, you can make hassle-free delivery to the customer with confidence.

Besides the delivery option, staff can actually advise customers to get the product from the nearest outlet with stock. This can further assist those who have urgent needs. Customers who made the purchase with a good experience will further enhance their loyalty and encourage repeat purchases.

Multi-Channel Integration

Aside from facilitating endless aisle service, a robust OMS like CLEARomni OMS has diverse features. It is able to smoothen order fulfillment operations across multiple channels through pre-built integration with major brand.com e-commerce platforms and third-party marketplaces.

Employees can have one single overview for all orders, which can further reduce errors and efforts needed.

Customizable Order Routing

OMS can customize order routing and fulfillment workflows to suit your company's operational needs and send information to suppliers, warehouses, and stores promptly.

The automation of determining the best party to handle the fulfillment will further reduce manual efforts needed.

In a B2B2C setting, businesses can also delegate order management to suppliers.

System Integration Capabilities

Our experienced team can integrate the system with:

• Existing POS and ERP systems
• Different 3PLs, warehouses, and couriers
• Marketplace platforms and e-commerce stores
• Supplier systems for B2B2C order management

Implement Endless Aisle with CLEARomni OMS

Endless aisle represents a significant opportunity for retailers to maximize sales from every store visitor while reducing inventory costs and improving customer satisfaction.

The key to success lies in having the right technology infrastructure—an Order Management System that provides real-time inventory visibility, intelligent order routing, and seamless integration across all your sales channels.

CLEARomni OMS delivers all these capabilities and more, enabling retailers to implement endless aisle strategies that convert every store visit into a sale, regardless of whether the product is physically in stock.