In today’s InternetRetailing newsletter, we’re looking at the improvements that retailers are making to their multichannel businesses, and at the changing way that customers are behaving.
The two are directly linked, of course, and today it’s interesting to see these changes alongside each other.
We’re reporting on Maplin and its work to move its in-store experience online, on House of Fraser as it uses data visualisation to improve the customer experience, while our report on Christopher Bailey’s departure from Burberry considers some of the innovations he’s been involved with as the luxury retailer transformed itself into a global brand over recent years.
We’re also reporting on the rising importance of the in-store event, expected to bring a significant lift to Hallowe’en shopping today, and we’re reporting on the importance of stores to the UK’s legions of omnishoppers, according to new Criteo research.
One theme that emerges strongly is the importance of the store to customers. But stores are not enough in themselves: they must work alongside online to make omnichannel services such as click and collect, or checking store and product information on the website work in a way that’s really convenient for customers. Retailers at the forefront of the industry, from Maplin and House of Fraser to Burberry, are doing just that. The challenge is to move beyond the channel to focus on the customer experience.
Today’s guest comment comes from Bobby Shome of Centiro,, who considers two key areas for retailers to focus on as they look to deliver on their Christmas promises.
Webinars
Find out more about upcoming InternetRetailing webinars and register for free on the InternetRetailing webinar page. You can also catch up with past webinars on the page: recent sessions have come from IBM Watson on using AI to improve the customer experience, and from SmartFocus and The Entertainer on using social to reach digital customers.
