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A New Chapter in Customer Engagement Insight into what “omni-channel” really means for retail marketers An Executive Snapshot of Global Retail Disruption

Sponsored by:

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The story begins…

Imagine a brand as a story told through the

many channels that we, as marketing

leaders, weave together to make a

marketing strategy. Just like a novel from a

best-selling author, your story needs to be

cohesive. The arc needs to span the

chapters, and the characters need to be

fully fleshed out. Many marketers attempt

to be captivating, relatable storytellers, but

it too often feels as if they skipped

something important from print to screen,

or from store to tablet.

Today’s consumers, no matter where,

when, or how they connect with your

product, expect stories to be personalized

and consistent. Strategizing a marketing

approach can be as simple as

reconsidering the journey of your main

character—the consumer.

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As the steep technology curve

continues to produce unexpected plot

twists in the marketing technology

narrative, we feel compelled to label

these changes so as to better

understand them. In this case, the

market has dubbed the merging of the

online and the offline as an “omni-

channel.”

Founder and Chief Networking Officer

of Remodista, Kelly Stickel, thinks it’s

too simplistic to define this as omni-

channel. “After talking to over 300

brand leaders, it is clear the points of

entry are quickly expanding; we need

to be looking at how people are getting

to us, coming in”.

It’s time to look at the customer and

her behavior, not the marketer and her

behavior.

And although we use the term

omni-channel in this paper,

you’ll see it being used

interchangeably with customer

experience. As the dust settles

on the technology changes, we

think you’ll agree that they are

one and the same.

“ ”

“She [the customer] taught us a lot about who we are too…She wants to be able to move with ease through those different touch points.” -Lauren Croke, EILEEN FISHER

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Customers today dictate the route they

take with a product or a brand experience

across channels (much like a Choose

Your Own Adventure book). Thus,

marketers’ thought processes should shift

so that customers are at the center of the

strategy. As Lauren Croke, Director of

Web and E-commerce at EILEEN

FISHER, explains, “She [the customer]

taught us a lot about who we are too, in

terms of the service that we provide, the

type of culture that we want to cultivate,

and where we want to be on the edge of

customer experience…She wants to be

able to move with ease through those

different touch points.”

they will not be able to maintain their company

culture.

But true harmony lies in merging all the channels.

As Lauren posits, “How do you take the aspects

of the culture that are aligned with the design

principles…and then layer that into the customer

experience?”

Another significant hurdle is that omni-channel

marketing can create needless competition within

a company, which compartmentalizes the

processes rather than embraces the fluidity of

working together toward a shared goal. As a

result, companies may allocate funds and

resources to the channel that appears most

successful at any given moment, without

anticipating future developments. These isolated

departments are referred to as silos, and they

should be dismantled to focus on profit as a whole

enterprise. When we move toward the customer

experience, it’s going to create all net new

business processes. They aren’t defined until we

do that.

Now is the time to shift our thinking and

reorganize internally; we need to connect to

groups that influence the brand because they will

ultimately influence a largely self-guided customer

experience.

Barriers to integrating online and offline experiences

A successful customer experience merges

the storylines of innovation and technology;

this forces companies to reassess their

approaches and take risks for rewards that

aren’t easily quantifiable. For these

reasons, many companies are falling behind

and failing to meet the consumer’s growing

expectations.

Integrating technology can be a risky

investment, especially when the results are

relatively slow to realize. Many fear that if

they embrace the digital approach,

Copy in Editing Process

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key ways customers have changed

Customer Change #1: Sophisticated Buyers

Today’s consumer is more

sophisticated and is accustomed

to a flow of technology.

TAKE ACTION: Involve a

designer in any and all initiatives

within the business - technology,

operations, and process - so

that the customer perspective is

at the core of the experience.

Customer Change #2: Expectations

Delight will become expectation

—innovation will always become

the norm.

TAKE ACTION: Leverage shifts

in technology to seek and

implement ways to surprise the

consumer.

3 How have customer expectations changed? How should businesses take action to meet these new expectations?

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key ways customers have changed (cont.)

Customer Change #3: Personalization

The customer seeks a more

personal retail experience.

TAKE ACTION: Focus on

customer service in all aspects

of the business, from e-

commerce virtual support to

retail store teams that are

equipped with the necessary

tools and knowledge to deliver a

cohesive and seamless

customer experience.

3

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“ ”

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As any good writer will tell you, the details of

the plot are difficult to see until you start trying

to piece the story together. This is particularly

true for marketers who work with the theme of

shifting technology. We still compartmentalize

changes in technology, in our customers and

in the way we deliver messages.

Reworking our vision for the future to start

with the customer and work backward will be

the key to success. We know it’s not a new

concept. But, when consumer technology

plateaus (even for a moment) and we have a

chance to catch our breath, what will emerge

is a better understanding of how the

organization can deliver a cohesive customer

experience.

Again, as a reminder, “When we move toward

the customer experience, it’s going to create

all net new business processes...”

One customer, one brand, many points of entry.

-Kelly Stickel, Remodista

www.remodista.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

This focus area looks at how we work together and shape our business channels that weave all touch points together through technology. Women leaders were largely missing in the first wave of online technology development in the 90's and early 2000's, and it seems like a gift, for both men and women, to hear how female executives are thinking about innovation and digital transformation.

REMODISTA FOCUS AREA Women Executive Insights

Remodista RETAIL & MOBILITY DISTILLED

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Remodista is a social think tank examining disruption in global retail. Our mission is to provide insight, education and innovation to global brands through collaborative research and analysis.

•  Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, CEO, GLAMSQUAD •  Chau Banks, EVP, CIO & Channel Integration, NY&CO •  Heather Harris, President, CycleBar •  Jessica Karle, Lead Product Manager, Paperless Post •  Kelly Stickel, Chief Networking Officer, Remodista •  Kyla Robinson, Mobile Products, OppenheimerFunds •  Lauren Croke, Director of eCommerce, EILEEN FISHER •  Lalena Luba, VP PR, Aritzia •  Lois Herzeca, Partner, Gibson Dunn •  Maureen Jann, Director of Marketing, Point It •  Rosalie Sutherland, Mobile Strategist •  Rose Hamilton, EVP, CMO, & GM, Pet360 •  Shawna Hausman, VP of eCommerce and DM, giggle •  Valerie Keast, Merchandising + Direct Marketing, Sears •  Veronika Sonsev, CEO, inSparq

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