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Retail Management

Notes The customer knows this and they have made up their mind, they love the web-enabled world
and they will shop with the retailer that operates in the world they live in.
Their preferred retailer provides what they want, how they want it and when they want it and
engages with them through the channels that they want to engage through; online, in store,
mobile, catalogue, call centre. During the purchase journey the consumer will select their
preferred way of satisfying their needs.
They may gather product information out of a catalogue, online or in store, check product
availability over the phone or online, use their mobile to order online and have the item home
delivered or reserved for in-store pick-up an hour later.
The single channel purchase journey is almost extinct. And this shift in consumer behaviour has
fundamentally changed one of the retailer’s fundamental activities - conversion. No longer is
this something that we can focus on a single channel, it needs to be addressed across a journey
that spans multiple channels. And this is where things get interesting.
What do we have to put in place in order to make consumers convert across multiple channels?
Consider the following four elements in a multichannel context in addition to the traditional
success factors such as a good product, good service and reasonable pricing:
Consistency
A user journey that allows the consumer to access the same consistent data regardless of the
channel they use. Lack of consistency will lead to confusion, lack of trust and abandonment as a
result.
Although a challenge, consistency is necessary across multiple channels simultaneously, and
not just product information, but pricing, promotions, services on offer, stock availability and
historic order information.
Relevancy

In a world where we are swamped with information on a daily basis, providing relevant
information is a must. However, we now need to add to the mix not only content related to what
a customer wants to buy, but also how they want to buy it.
If I know that a particular user prefers to complete their shopping journey in the store should I
continue to try to convert them online, or should I provide them with the easiest possible way
to get them to their local store...?
Understand Customer Behaviour Across Channels
In order to influence the consumer journey across the channels retailers need, first and foremost,
to be able to understand how a customer behaves across all journeys, in a single place ideally.
(Yes, ‘single view of the customer’ is back on the agenda).
Once you have gained an understanding, the next step will be to use this understanding efficiently
and start optimising conversion across multiple channels within a single purchase journey.
Adapt to Change
Last, but not least; in order to give your multichannel plans some longevity, you will need to be
ready for change, in your organisation, processes and systems. One thing is for sure; we are not
there yet with multichannel.

It is different from our traditional approach to selling already and no doubt it will continue to
shape itself; new channels will emerge, propositions will evolve, solutions will change.
Make sure you are ready for that change and you are ready to respond. Change is happening at
a faster pace than ever, and if you are not ready to adapt you will be losing out.

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