The top omnichannel lifestyle, luxury and premium retailers are…

New mystery shopper research reveals the state of omnichannel customer experience among a select group of retailers.

The 2023 Omnichannel Leadership Report from retail cloud platform provider NewStore audited the omnichannel capabilities of 300 luxury, premium, and lifestyle retail brands in North America. According to findings from a team of third-party mystery shoppers, the top omnichannel retailers in these categories are:

• Hibbett Sports
• Shoe Carnival
• Bloomingdale’s
• Sephora
• Lululemon

According to NewStore analysis, these retailers have shown strength in the face of macro-environmental forces that have disrupted the retail industry during the past two years. NewStore also says that this group of retailers has proven that organizations which started their digital transformation efforts prior to the COVID-19 pandemic have an edge over those that didn’t make substantial digital changes three to four years ago.

Highlights of findings across all 300 retailers analyzed in the study include:

• 54% of analyzed retailers offer order pickup in-store (BOPIS). and 72% offer order return in-store (BORIS).
• 31% of analyzed retailer websites show store inventory availability.
• 33% of analyzed retailers have a mobile shopping app.
• 89% of branded apps included in the study give access to loyalty information.
• 32% of store associates for analyzed retailers use mobile devices, and 16% of stores offer customers mobile checkout.
• 54% of analyzed stores have ‘endless aisle’ capabilities.

The research was conducted by mystery shoppers who were responsible for auditing each retailer’s online, mobile app, and in-store shopping experiences to determine their omnichannel competence.

Using a proprietary methodology, every retail brand was then assigned an overall rank and score, as well as scores across each report category. In order to remove bias, brands on the NewStore platform are excluded from the study.  

NewStore also segmented the 300 brands in the 2022 edition of the report into four categories: Basic, Mid-market, Premium, and Luxury. The data showed omnichannel momentum and transformation in the Basic and Luxury segments, while Mid-market and Premium brands have stagnated. However, there is room for improvement across all groups, according to NewStore, because the company omnichannel success relies on long-term strategies.

“Uncertainty is the new normal in retail, and the industry will only face more disruption. The 2023 2023 Omnichannel Leadership Report should be a wake-up call for the brands that have not future-proofed their businesses,” said Stephan Schambach, founder and CEO, NewStore. “Especially those that think multichannel is the same as omnichannel. Without an integrated approach to physical, digital, and mobile, brands will struggle to find long-term business profitability.”