Don’t Silo Your Store
Unsilo Your Customer Experience
A recent think with Google post reiterated what we already know--shoppers are looking for shopping inspiration online. You are marketing to get their attention in this search. If you keep the search for product knowledge and your work to let them know you have what they are looking for siloed into different experiences at each touchpoint, you risk losing the customer.
Customers are Looking to You
There is no other time of year when this happens more than the holidays--right now. We wrote about your expertise and how it can help shoppers find just the right gift. If shoppers find you in an online search and come to you for inspiration, do not disappoint them! Keep your product promotion consistent from your marketing channels to your sales team. If your marketing team are promoting a romantic holiday gift package on Facebook, be sure your staff knows this. Tell them what is included in the gift package and give them ideas about selling it: facts about the products, features and benefits, and the reason why you chose to put those particular items together.
Shoppers are trying to make a big impact for a large number of people who have a wide range of interests. It is impossible for one person to be an expert in so many areas. That’s why they are coming to you, to help them find the products they saw online and, perhaps, be further inspired by the service they receive when they come into your store.
Keep it Together
You spend a lot of time and money to market to shoppers this time of year. If shoppers do not connect with your out-of-store promotions when they come into your store, you risk confusing them and losing them. Modern retail success depends on an omnichannel marketing experience that is consistent regardless of where your customer finds you. What you say on Facebook should be echoed on your website and displayed prominently in your aisles. Maximize your marketing team’s work by using it everywhere you are promoting products. This strategy is efficient for your marketing department and builds consumer confidence.
Connect Across the Brand
No one can be a master of all, even your shoppers. They are looking for inspiration from experts. When they find you online, give them the confidence they need to know they are giving the right gift. Your marketing team develops great product ideas and promotions. Omnichannel marketing, promoting the same features and benefits across all touchpoints, sets your business apart as the expert who wants to help the customer find just what she is looking for.
Sure, the holidays are the busiest time of the year, but supporting your marketing efforts by using the same message everywhere reduces, not increases, the workload. Connect the pieces so that everyone is on the same team from marketing to sales to customers. Keeping that connection is essential to your end-of-year success.
Let Sellr help you establish an omnichannel marketing strategy that is right for your store. Visit getsellr.com or email info@getsellr.com.
Renee Clare-Kovacs is the Content Marketing Strategist at Sellr. She is passionate about creating digital marketing strategies that help business owners develop successful relationships with customers and vendors.
