Sentiment Data Gave Retailers an Inside Edge for Back-to-School Timing and Promotions
Knowing that consumers are buying online for school supplies, it's increasingly important to customize messages and customer support offerings for the buying channel. In other words, what works for print or TV ads may not work online.
A NRF back-to-school survey from June indicated that 33 percent of college students and parents now compare prices online, up slightly from 31.7 percent from 2013. Shoppers are clearly using online resources for price comparisons, but they also make decisions based on online support and service. SAP's research found that many retailers are aware of the shift to online back-to-school shopping, but are failing on providing consistent service and support online. This year, overall consumer sentiment about online customer service ranged from neutral to negative, which can erode customer loyalty and negatively impact sales in the long run. For retailers, providng a quality experience across channels needs to be a higher priority leading into 2015.
Matt Laukaitis is the Executive Vice President and Global General Manager of SAP’s Consumer Industries organization and is responsible for the team’s people and business strategies, solutions portfolio, partner ecosystem, performance, and customer success. Â
Since joining SAP as an account executive in 2004, Matt has held a variety of positions of increasing responsibility, and prior to his current role served as Senior Vice President and Managing Director of SAP’s Consumer Industries in North America. Along the way, he has been fortunate to work with a tremendous team of dedicated professionals helping SAP’s customers with their digital transformation into an intelligent enterprise for measurable outcomes.
Prior to SAP, Matt worked in sales and sales leadership positions at IONA Technologies, Netfish (IONA Technologies), RR Donnelley, and Apple.Â