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Retail Management

Notes There are two benefits to the data collection offered by multi-channel retail: First, the possibility
for gathering more information exists, and the information can be used more effectively.
“People usually are more comfortable entering information themselves, rather than giving it to
a salesperson,” said Steve Deckert, marketing manager for Sweet Tooth, a Toronto-based provider
of loyalty programs to retailers. “So they are far more likely to enter their email address into a
kiosk than give it to a cashier. At the same time, by having that information available across a
variety of channels, the retailer has more opportunities to capture the information, and more
of it.”
If a retailer can track what a customer is purchasing, and where, more targeted marketing can be
introduced. Someone who tends to browse online and then purchase in-store, for example, can
be emailed an invitation to a private showing in a store, and the list of products to be shown can
be sent before the event, increasing the likelihood of purchase.
Not only is it more likely that the customer will provide important information, but if all the
different channels are communicating, then the information only needs to be entered once.

“If you’re going to ask someone for information about themselves, it needs to be available
whenever they come to you,” said Verizon’s Bagel. “Otherwise, it feels intrusive and annoying
to have to repeat the same information over and over again.”
Enhanced Productivity
Multi-channel retailing offers benefits for more than shoppers. Workers, too, can benefit from
the use of new technology, by arming them with more information and increasing their efficiency.
A tablet, for example, frees employees from the point-of-sale system, instead allowing them to
carry the register with them. Employees can go directly to the aid of customers, helping them to
find out what is in stock, what is available at other stores and when new products might be
launching. The tablet also can contain information about the loyalty program, so a frequent
customer can be given VIP status. Then, when a purchase is ready to be made, the customer does
not have to stand in line, but rather can simply continue talking to the salesperson and make her
purchase via tablet.
Best Practices
While every type of channel has its own unique set of challenges, there are some strategies that
are true across all engagement points.
Be consistent. Messaging across all channels should have the same look and feel; the customer
should always know exactly what brand she is interacting with.
“Traditionally, retailers have approached each channel individually,” said Gustafson. “What is
needed, though, is to create a single marketing message, and then figure out how to deploy it
across all channels. The messaging doesn’t have to be identical, but it all needs to be clearly
related.”

Provide a value-add. Make sure each engagement point offers something to the customer. An
in-store kiosk that simply accesses the company’s website, for example, is not bringing anything
unique to the customer; instead, she can check the website at home, on her own. The same is true
of a tablet. If the salesperson with the tablet does not have access to more or better information
than the customer can access via her own tablet or smartphone, the application will not bring
much value to the transaction.
Security. There is a fine line between being helpful and being intrusive, and it’s a line that is
easily crossed. Customers are aware of security issues, and are wary of providing too much
personal information.

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