Brick & Mortar Retail Touch Points Exposed
By Exact Target - www.exacttarget.com
The customer experience. Mere invocation of the words makes seasoned retail marketers misty for the days when they controlled every aspect of the customer’s journey from parking lot to purchase. Today, however, the customer experience that retailers work so hard to create is under siege thanks to internet-enabled smartphones, barcode scanning apps, and comparison shopping tools.
Indeed, the balance of informational power has shifted to consumers, and retailers are scrambling to fend off
competition in every aisle of their own stores.
For those retailers hoping to avoid the fate of Borders, Circuit City, and Tower Records, all eyes are focused on optimization. Revenue optimization. Website optimization. Brand optimization. Product optimization. Loyalty optimization. To survive and thrive, retailers must maximize returns on their existing investments while driving innovation that will keep their brand fresh
and their customers loyal.
Indeed, the balance of informational power has shifted to consumers, and retailers are scrambling to fend off
competition in every aisle of their own stores.
For those retailers hoping to avoid the fate of Borders, Circuit City, and Tower Records, all eyes are focused on optimization. Revenue optimization. Website optimization. Brand optimization. Product optimization. Loyalty optimization. To survive and thrive, retailers must maximize returns on their existing investments while driving innovation that will keep their brand fresh
and their customers loyal.
On-Line & Social Experience Capture
While one might automatically assume that the “Hot 100 Retailers” are fully leveraging their touchpoints to maximize both the size and engagement of proprietary email, mobile, and social audiences, we found quite the opposite.
Consider that of the Hot 100 Retailers with brick and mortar stores, only:
If there is one lesson to be learned within the following pages, it is that even the fastest growing retailers have room to improve their level of consumer engagement before, during, and after the initial sale. By exposing where retail touchpoints could be better leveraged to build engaged audiences, we hope to inspire marketers of all stripes—retail or otherwise—to embrace the full potential that email, mobile, and social channels hold for their organizations.
Consider that of the Hot 100 Retailers with brick and mortar stores, only:
- 2% used in-store signage to promote email or SMS (text message) engagement
- 8% used in-store signage to promote their social communities on Facebook, Twitter, etc.
- 44% sought email opt-in at point-of-purchase
- 2% offered digital copies of receipts via email Online, the story was equally striking. Among the Hot 100 Retailers with
- e-commerce websites, only:
- 22% send cart abandonment emails
- 21% personalized emails after online purchase
- 51% saw fans answer customer questions on Facebook before the brand itself
If there is one lesson to be learned within the following pages, it is that even the fastest growing retailers have room to improve their level of consumer engagement before, during, and after the initial sale. By exposing where retail touchpoints could be better leveraged to build engaged audiences, we hope to inspire marketers of all stripes—retail or otherwise—to embrace the full potential that email, mobile, and social channels hold for their organizations.
Content & Pages In The Report
See the complete report via slideshow, or download the report below
| retail_touchpoint_report.pdf |
