Understand the adjacent terms that are related to omnichannel services and the strategic implications for a firm intending to meet its customers’ omni-channel preferences.
Understand the levers that CL used as they prepared to launch the omni-strategy, a disruptive transformation program.
Understand the reasoning behind the company’s investment in a wider omni-strategy and future implications.
Understand the meaning and relevance of creating differentiated resources as espoused by the resource-based view.
Understand the reasons for the success of CL’s omni-strategy and, assess how it could be made more future-fit.
CaratLane (CL), a leading diamond jewellery brand, pioneered online jewellery retailing in India had transitioned to serving customers across multiple channels. To enhance service quality and to plug the gaps that a transition involving offering omnichannel services entailed, they dramatically moved away from evaluating business opportunities from a narrow distribution channel mindset to a more holistic perspective. The transformational program that followed impacted the way every function operated and was referred to internally as its “omni-strategy” or “omni” for short. CL aspired to seamlessly service every business opportunity that originated from customers’ channel of choice within a unit geography (typically a cluster of pin codes), and achieve the company’s goal of “zero-missed-opportunities.” Kickstarted in 2020, the organisation, unhindered by narrow bounds of channel-based KPIs was able to improve customer experience, service delivery and hone resource allocation.
While senior management signalled their wish to continue the program, the VP-People Function wanted to be convinced that omni 2.0 would future-proof and boost CL’s success.
This case can be taught to Business Management students of Marketing Strategy, Customer Experience management and Retail and Distribution management at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Teaching notes are available for educators only.
CSS8: Marketing.
