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There are many issues that need to be addressed when developing a multi-channel retail strategy. Because of the nature of the retail business and it’s convergence with ecommerce these questions will most likely touch multiple points of your business from operations to finance, IT, merchandising, fulfillment, marketing and across your organization. Keeping the lines of communication and participation open is key as well as the cross-pollination of data and information. As customers needs and business climate evolve, so must our approach and execution. Before getting too far ahead, consider the following:
- What are the steps necessary to achieve multi-channel integration?
- What is unique to each channel?
- How can you leverage that uniqueness to enhance user experience and drive your objectives?
- How can you allow the customer to shop without any barriers to each channel?
- How does are Multi-channel marketing programs impact other areas of operation such as merchandising and finance?
- How do your programs influence and impact each other?
Remain Consistent but Flexible. Consistency has become a mantra when discussing multi-channel marketing. Success however will not come from a literal interpretation to remain consistent. Consistency in messaging, customer interaction and branding efforts should be complementary but do not necessarily need to mimic each other in their execution. With each different medium, different needs & the subsequent mechanism to deliver your message can & will exist. The personas you build for your online shoppers will not necessarily jive with their offline counterparts. The internet allows us the ability to create more & better-defined customer segments.
Make Data Matter. What is going to help achieve your goals is taking an integrated approach to analyzing your data. Don’t leave your data in silos; blend the data across channels, but do not drown in it. Identifying and prioritizing what is important will usually have a direct relation with something actionable. Identify key performance indicators whose analysis will help you steer your business in the right direction. Do you have ready access to data showing customers who were sent a catalog, served a creative ad unit through one of your network buys, & whose ultimate conversion came directly upstream from Google? Do you know how your media programs drive your prospects to customers? Data does matter but we also have to recognize that data metrics are not in an ideal industry state for absolute conclusions. They do however provide enough insight for directional and actionable insight.
Advance New Opportunities. Online marketing and advertising offers multi-channel retailers unprecedented opportunities to efficiently test new strategies and tactics to gain valuable insight to their customers and drive maximum business performance. While every online channel is not a direct to sales path each channel has unique strengths and capabilities to drive prospects to purchase.
Embrace the ability of each channel to serve unique consumer needs and business outcomes while simultaneously supporting and advancing each other should be the goal. The accelerated advance of ecommerce can be daunting but a measured, strategic approach; open communications and shared knowledge are significant components to an successful multi-channel retail strategy.
