The Omnichannel Dilemma

Zilliant attended and spoke at the Professional Pricing Society’s (PPS) 33rd Annual Fall Pricing Workshops and Conference in San Francisco, CA, on October 18 - 21. Barrett Thompson delivered a keynote speech on how pricing can power an effective omnichannel experience.

Omnichannel is the Standard, Not the Exception

“Omnichannel is now the standard, not the exception. Even as in-person engagement has reemerged since August 2020, buyers have made clear that they prefer a cross-channel mix, choosing in-person, remote, and digital self-serve interactions in equal measure,” states McKinsey’s B2B Pulse survey.

Omnichannel is here, and it’s here to stay. A B2C-like experience is now essential when it comes to buying regardless of the sales channel. Whether direct sales, through a distributor, on an eCommerce site, or even a third-party marketplace, customers expect seamlessness and consistency.

However, omnichannel selling can create headaches due to product and price complexity. The common practice of negotiated pricing can complicate matters even further. It’s clear that many B2B companies aren’t ready for the massive shift to omnichannel and aren’t meeting buyers’ three big pricing expectations – accuracy, consistency, and speed.

The reality is that dreaded dead experiences, such as “call for pricing” prompts online or “let me get back to you on that” from sales reps, are stifling the delivery of consistent and accurate prices to customers at the speed needed to compete in today’s landscape. We live in a market that demands immediacy, but immediacy doesn’t work if the information offered doesn’t meet customer expectations.

Powering an Effective Omnichannel Experience Through Pricing

In order to establish an effective omnichannel experience for your customers, B2B companies need to consider the following questions:

How do you offer the right price, accurately and immediately, whether a customer interacts with a sales rep in person, on the phone, or online? What are the most typical omnichannel pricing problems B2B companies encounter? What proven strategies power omnichannel success? How do I get started creating a cohesive and effective omnichannel experience?

On Friday, October 21, Zilliant General Manager of Commercial Excellence Barrett Thompson presented a keynote at the Professional Pricing Society’s (PPS) 33rd Annual Fall Pricing Workshops and Conference in San Francisco. The keynote, “The Omnichannel Dilemma,” offered a deep dive into how traditional and online channels can work in harmony to deliver an optimal customer experience, how to deliver the right price for each customer across every channel in real-time, and how to offer self-service functionality online for negotiations and other price interactions. The keynote also discusses why omnichannel pricing problems happen for B2B companies and explores strategies for overcoming these problems.

Missed the conference? Book a meeting with a B2B pricing expert