Legal Issues 2017 – Thinking About Omnichannel

Omnichannel strategies are fundamentally changing our commercial environment.  With the vast number of choices available to customers, people are increasingly migrating to the brands/organisations that offer them the best user experience and increased control over their participation.  A seamless and effortless integration of both online and offline channels is one of the ways to accomplish this. 

Businesses need to do more than merely make sure the colour schemes match across devices; omnichannel is an alternative way of approaching customer engagement by using personalisation and data analytics.  Omnichannel strategy is not just limited to the retail sector, it is being put into use in a wide range of situations such as healthcare providers and the finance industry.

However, as is often the case, the law can potentially get in the way of the best ideas.  New regulations on the horizon, such as Geo-Blocking, may actually hinder rather than assist. Data collection, pricing, technology, privacy and appropriate business structures will be key legal themes in any Omnichannel strategy.

We have covered some of these areas in our top issues list below as well as highlighting some of the other topics that may impact you and your business this year. We will revisit a number of these issues throughout the year. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us if you wish to discuss any legal issues arising in relation to your Omnichannel strategy or the topics covered.