Our team at, Integer London, recently wrote a piece to Admap Magazine, discussing the integration of the retail experience in the brick-and-mortar and online worlds. Ian Thomas discusses the need for retailers to create a seamless journey for the customer between the physical and online store. To do this requires recognizing that shoppers “research in one channel, buy from another and then switch back to online channels for customer service post-sale.” There are a handful of retailers that are doing a good job of facilitating this process; the one paving the way is Best Buy. In its current campaign, it touts ‘Delivery, hook-up, and recycling’ for TV sets. By bundling hardware and software together with delivery, and installation services via Geek Squad, Best Buy are positioning themselves as a "solutions provider" rather than just a retailer.
Thomas also argues the efficiencies of further integrating a business into a 'digital home', one in which everything from stock control to online storage of receipts and guarantees are housed on a single IT platform. This will provide more effective CRM possibilities because of its ability to track individual customer purchasing behaviors. Digital stock can inform consumers about how many products are available in a particular store, as well as give real-time information to the retailers about what is selling and what isn't so they can tailor their communications to help push products.
As retailers begin to better understand the evolving shopping landscape, we will begin to see the line between the real and online worlds blur more and more (see our white paper on Digitail™). The value from this integration comes from both the retailer's increased availability to the consumer as well as the ability to have more targeted and timely communications.
Check out the August issue of Admap to read the entire article from Ian Thomas, "Time to Integrate Retail Experience in the Real and Online Worlds.
