Retail
Online says in stock. The store says otherwise.
Retail's agent problem is not the catalog, it is the shelf. National inventory tells a customer nothing about whether the thing is in the store they can drive to, and that gap is exactly what someone is asking an assistant to close.
What a customer types
- “Who has this in my size within ten miles?”
- “Is this in stock at the store near me right now?”
- “Open now and carries this brand”
- “Can I pick it up today?”
One business gets named. Chain-level stock passed off as local. If the answer cannot name the store, it has not answered the question.
These are the questions deciding it.
Asked of an assistant, not typed into a search box. One business gets named.
Who has this in my size within ten miles?
Is this in stock at the store near me right now?
Open now and carries this brand
Can I pick it up today?
So the answer has something true to come from
- Stock at the store level, not the chain level
- Store hours, including the ones that differ from the mall's
- Prices, and whether a promotion applies at this location
- Pickup and hold options per store
Not describe. Finish.
- Check stock at a specific location before promising it
- Compare availability across nearby stores
- Place a hold or start a pickup order
- Answer a fit or compatibility question from product data
Anything that reaches a human is staged for the customer to confirm. The agent does the work; the person keeps the decision.
The thing to get right in retail
Chain-level stock passed off as local. If the answer cannot name the store, it has not answered the question.
Other industries
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