Canadian Retailer - Store 2015 - 13

Understanding how customers interact with brands is critical to influencing their decisions.

self-checkout) in an effort to minimize the "cost of interacting"
with customers. However, too often retailers' efforts resulted in
customer disengagement because retailers weren't focused on
providing what customers actually wanted. Retailers weren't
putting the customer in the centre of their process, but were
instead asking the customer to adapt to the retailer's cost optimized process.
As seen in our Global Total Retail Study, customers want to
interact with their favourite brands. In fact, 62 per cent say that
interacting with their favourite brands on social media has driven
them to buy more. The challenge for retailers is that communications must go beyond generic messaging; they must be relevant
and personalized to each customer. More importantly, retailers must be able to engage seamlessly with customers as they
crisscross channels over the course of their shopping journey
Engaging during the Influence stage

The ideal moment to engage with a customer is before they
have even identified they have a need. This provides retailers
with the opportunity to suggest both a need and a solution, or
selection of solutions that a customer can choose from. Effective retailers are creating apps and other functions for mobile
devices to become a "shopping companion" for their customers-providing insights, opinions and events that "life line" to
communities of influence, along with an opportunity to make
transactions quickly and seamlessly.
During the Influence stage of the shopping journey, digital
technologies linked to ecommerce solutions can be a critical
enabler for retailers because they allow a customer to rapidly
transition from being influenced to making a transaction.
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THE BENEFITS OF DIGITAL INTERACTIONS
THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media engagement presents the
retailer with an opportunity to influence
thousands of digital communities, and
potentially millions of shoppers, in an
effort to persuade them to consider new
items even before they enter a store.
When executed well, customer engagement
during the Influence stage will:
*	Provide	an	opportunity	to	communicate	
your brand's value proposition to
encourage desired customer behaviours
*	Focus	on	communities	where	your	
target customers reside, using
traditional marketing or digital media
techniques
*	Present	your	merchandise	as	a	solution	
to your customer's needs
*	Provide	a	consistent,	and	visual,	story
across channels (e.g. branded
advertising, digital Look Books, in-store
marketing, video)
*	Be	relevant	to	your	target	segment
and tailored to the needs and
preferences of individual customers
*	Heighten	the	potential	relevancy	of	
your offer by incorporating customer
rewards and loyalty programs into
your messaging

STORE 2015 | CANADIAN RETAILER

| 13
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Retailer - Store 2015
