Omni-channel touchpoints
Retail brands must now be proactive and go to wherever their customers want them to be.
In the physical world, the digital world, and everywhere in-between.
Our clients’ current priorities
“Speaking of channels is irrelevant. We must now consider a single brand delivering retail services to a transient customer.”
Delivering retail services to a transient customer
The relationship is shifting from distinctive channels to a continuously changing number of touchpoints. These touchpoints cut across digital and physical channels. They are used by the customer as they please, often with little predictability.
The touchpoints are used by the customer in two fundamental ways. For inspiration and communication with the retailer, and to buy from the retailer. The customer flits across these touchpoints as and when they please.
With such freedom and choice, it is now time for retailers to be proactive, and to ‘take it to the customer.’
‘Flexibility, efficiency, fluidity and reliability will be the benchmarks to success in this ever changing supply and delivery landscape!’
Managing the ‘loss of traditional retail control.’
The single physical channel was relatively easy for retailers to control. At the very least they knew where, and roughly when, they were going to ‘come into contact’ with the customer. And they knew it was on their patch. It was on their terms, under their rules. The retailer held all the cards.
The internet, e-commerce and the moving to new channels has changed that completely. The proliferation of retail possibilities has just added to the complexity. It has also accelerated the loss of control that traditional retailers once enjoyed. The stability of power, based on the buying and selling of product, has crumbled away.
The complexity behind multiple touchpoints, has also magnified the range of skills, expertise, and tools required to be competent, proficient, and to excel across channels. Best practice has managed to buy-in, and evolve internally, many of these skills and processes.The multi-touchpoint retail environment has necessitated a new Age of Collaboration.
“It is time for retailers to collaborate with the very businesses that threaten their existence, and the brands that are traditionally their direct competitors!”
Collaborating at the centre of the ‘Customer Universe’
Smart and efficient retailers can leverage their assets, and through forming intelligent relationships can make themselves once again the centre of the customers’ attention.
By working with social media partners, and logistics businesses they can add efficiency to their end-to-end facilitation, projecting themselves far ahead of their own capabilities.By working with housing developers and landlords they can assure location viability for physical shops.
They can achieve marketplace consolidation by working with their brands and suppliers and through forming mutual relationships with competitors and complementary retailers.
A summary of our client services.
Every retail business, businessman, entrepreneur and shopkeeper is different.
Every client project and collaboration we plan and deliver is different.
Our client pledge
To make every team member and colleague a ‘better’ retailer,
and to leave a permanent and positive legacy in every client business.
Let’s do something great together.
Newsletter
’52 Steps to the Perfect Shop!’ weekly newsletter
For everyone looking to improve their physical shops,
or even thinking of opening their first pop-up or permanent shop,
we have written the ’52 Steps to the Perfect Shop!’ weekly newsletter, delivered direct to your inbox.
You too can have ‘The Perfect Shop’ by this time next year!