Lenovo unveils omnichannel platform for contactless shopping experience

Tech major Lenovo Monday announced the launch of its omnichannel platform Lenovo OnDemand (LOD), which is designed to provide a contactless shopping experience to customers.

LOD is an amalgamation of major shopping avenues - Lenovo.com and the brand's about 500 Lenovo Exclusive Stores (LES).

The LOD platform offers a hyperlocal experience, where customers are shown inventory of the nearest store selected for their area, enabling users to reach out to offline retailers via the online channel, Lenovo India Head of Consumer Business Dinesh Nair said.

He added that the digital store - which is available 24/7 - will offer customers the choice of getting the product delivered at their doorstep within 24 hours or schedule a pickup from the store at their convenience. ''This initiative regulates the number of users in stores as Lenovo aims at observing social distancing and hence maintaining the safety of the customers...This platform also facilitates the future readiness for small retail/partners as they continue to compete and grow in the phygital world,'' he noted.

Lenovo has invested in extensive training on the LOD system through a dedicated training team and multiple workshops with partners and their staff. A new Retail POS system that is being implemented as a part of this program will enable real-time inventory upload, thus making it easier for partners to manage their online stores.

Nair said a pilot of this program will be starting in Bengaluru, Chennai, and Mumbai, and the rest of the metros will follow shortly.

Nair highlighted that customer consumption behavior patterns have changed significantly over the last two years. Also, the pandemic has accelerated the use of online channels for everything - from education to shopping - and hence, brands need to adapt to this shift from a multi-channel approach to an omnichannel approach to reach the end-users. Rajesh Thadani, Executive Director (E-commerce) at Lenovo Asia Pacific, said Lenovo's e-commerce platform has seen a 2x growth in traffic in the last six quarters and has also seen a 6x revenue growth.

''This platform presents a unified picture of e-commerce and offline retail by integrating the real-life stores' products with digital stores, to create a unique virtual experience for consumers looking for contactless purchase,'' he added.

Thadani said Lenovo wants to provide customers with an integrated platform as a one-stop shop, and LOD will be a unified platform where retail meets e-commerce.