Omnichannel

How-to product videos are one of the most underutilized features that every e-commerce site should have. Many brands and retailers should be doing a lot more of them for real financial gain as well as social value with their customers. Learn in this post what are the many benefits of doing how-to videos for your own brand, and some helpful times for getting started.

Old Navy has partnered with Telemundo to launch a telenovela-style miniseries for the web. The Spanish-language web novela, "Estilos Robados" (Stolen Styles), is a six-part miniseries that launched Oct. 14 and will air on Fridays through Nov. 18.

How does a retailer become a cross-channel retailer? The first step is to change the cultural thinking in many organizations to a “market to me” experience, a singular view of the customer.

For the past few years, retailers have been refining their mobile offerings in advance of the holiday season. Keeping up with consumer demand has meant providing pricing information, product specifications and customer reviews to mobile users — all leading reasons why last year’s holiday shoppers turned to mobile.

AdamAndEve.com, the award-winning site of adult industry giant Adam & Eve, has announced the launch of its mobile website, compatible with iPhone and Android devices.

As it's been a year since the last JUMP, an annual event dedicated to multichannel business, I thought I'd collate and share a few recent examples of innovative multichannel thinking. Some of these are real success stories. There are plenty of others that I know I've missed out, some of which I'm looking forward to hearing more about.

Macy's is partnering with fit personalization software provider True Fit to launch virtual sizing technology on its website, mobile site and in-store kiosks. Using the technology, shoppers can see which of the retailer's clothes and shoes will fit them on screen — without having to physically try on the apparel.

The Starbucks Card has become a social phenomenon. Advocates willingly fill them up with credit for the status it brings at the point of sale. Good-natured friends readily recharge the cards of friends through Facebook to spread good will. Starbucks proactively rewards cardholders with perks and special treatment in stores, online, and elsewhere.

Here’s a circuitous route to free advertising on Google: Phillips & Co. will install QR codes on rooftops in an attempt to sneak into Google Maps. Phillips & Co.’s new proposition, called Blue Marble, offers a “space-accessible profile” for businesses, cities, schools — anyone who wants to raise their profile.

How long have we been talking and asking about multichannel? You know the questions: “Do you have a multichannel marketing program?” “Do you know who your multichannel customers are?” “Do you know how much your multichannel customer spends?” We’ve been asking these questions for about as long as we’ve been using terms like relevance and one-to-one, which is a really long time. None of these terms are unimportant, but what’s next? What should we really be striving for now?