Omnichannel

For brands selling and marketing to consumers in multiple channels simultaneously, attributing orders to the marketing channel responsible for generating a purchase is a problem that's been vexing retailers for years. In a session at this week's eTail East conference in Philadelphia, a panel of retailers (and one vendor) discussed how their companies handle the troublesome task of order attribution.

In a keynote session at the eTail East conference in Philadelphia, Tripp Sessions, the former chief information officer at Benchmark Brands, the parent company of FootSmart, a cross-channel retailer of shoes, socks and foot care products, laid out his tips on how companies can seamlessly and effectively roll out a new technology implementation. Sessions was recruited to lead the turnaround of the information technology and e-commerce operations teams at Benchmark Brands. Here's a recap of Sessions' tips:

Merchandise and inventory planning for catalog retailers used to be a thorough, highly detailed process from start to finish. The goal,

Consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, retailers and their business partners often tout the ways they put customers at the center of their strategies. But while many companies do a good job of understanding their customers, many fail to maximize demand because they don't adequately coordinate across marketing, sales and innovation functions.

Omnichannel is the buzzword du jour in retailing. From large chains to midsize independents, brands across the retail industry are eager to leverage new digital opportunities as drivers of increased revenues and market expansion. But while many retailers are talking about omnichannel opportunities, a much smaller number understand what omnichannel really means.

We live in a day and age when browsing the web is no longer an anonymous activity. In addition to all of the "+1's" and "Likes" we leave in our digital wake, we're also the recipients of retargeting (or remarketing) advertisements and emails. We've all experienced retargeting by now.

In the second and final part of this interview with Beth Guastella, the recently named president and COO of giggle, a specialty retaile

I had the opportunity to chat recently with Beth Guastella, the recently named president and chief operating officer of giggle, an omnichannel specialty retailer of upscale baby products and resources. In part one of this two-part blog post, we discuss what attracted Guastella to giggle; what specialty retail is; and how giggle’s catalog business works. 

The most profitable retargeting efforts focus on consumers who have either viewed products but haven't yet made a purchase or who did make a purchase and are likely to buy another related product. In either case, the overall strategy is to attract the consumer at the right time for the right cost. Once identified as suitable to receive a retargeting message, there are five concepts that must be employed to achieve success:

In advance of next Thursday's Retail Marketing Virtual Conference & Expo, I took the opportunity to interview one of the show's speakers, Richard Sexton, the founder and president of Carolina Rustica, an omnichannel retailer of high-end furniture and lighting. (Richard is also a member of Retail Online Integration's Editorial Advisory Board.) Richard will be hosting the "Showrooming: Your Secret Weapon for In-Store Sales" session. Here's a sneak peek into some of the issues that Richard will be addressing during the half-hour session: