Behind 5 of Last Week's Consumer Headlines
(or, what I was thinking as I caught up on the news)
Target’s Omnichannel Two-App Tactic
· Most companies can’t get customers to download, keep, and use one mobile app, while Target has rolled out two
· With its Cartwheel app known to be one of the industry’s biggest couponing successes, Target has smartly leveraged indoor geo-mapping (which I can’t believe more large stores aren’t) to help customers find deals
· In the best-possible split if a retailer can’t fit everything into one friendly user experience, Target’s separate “flagship” app focuses on less store-centric functionality like BOPUS and curbside pick-up
http://etaileast.wbresearch.com/target%E2%80%99s-omnichannel-two-app-tactic
Gamifying Your Contact Center: Making the “Like” Economy Work For You
· A couple of weeks ago, I posted about what I called “Human E-commerce”, so I was excited to see how Stella Connect is thinking about the humans making magic happen in contact centers
· Having spent time in retail contact centers, I know the extra effort that’s required to keep these teams – often far from a company’s stores and face-to-face customer interactions – engaged and inspired
· While I love the idea of leaderboards and I’m sure they boost morale, I think it’s also important to connect teams not just with each other but with the retailer’s product and mission
https://stellaservice.com/gamifying-your-contact-center-making-the-like-economy-work-for-you/
Commerce Cards, Now on the Mobile Web
· As a consumer who wants to spend money on mobile in a less painful way and a retailer who wants to convert more customers on mobile, Button’s ability to show me my related purchase options while I’m in an app could be a game-changer
https://blog.usebutton.com/commerce-cards-now-on-the-mobile-web-8a055c5e957c#.r2zqa52n8
Target’s Future Will Be Decided by Kids
· While I don’t agree with the headline, I agree with Target’s strategy to use cheap-and-chic kids apparel to pull in parents, who are likely to spend elsewhere in the store
· But at cheap price points, the necessary investments required in display (even Target admits the clothes sell 30% better when featured on mannequins) and marketing (in an increasingly crowded kids market) will need to be offset by a ton of units
· The huge investment in private label could the right high-margin bet or a painful inventory overage
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2016-07-07/target-s-future-will-be-decided-by-kids
Publicis Groupe Creates New Entity for Walmart to Handle U.S. Creative, In-Store Marketing
· I’ve very curious about what the emphasis here will be, as I’d prioritize tactical in-store shopper marketing tactics over big creative changes (Walmart is going up against Amazon, which doesn’t present much creative competition)
· What Walmart has, of course, are its stores – so driving people in to experience the product that needs to be experienced and focusing on conversion once they’re there seems like the right differentiator
http://adage.com/article/agency-news/publicis-groupe-creates-entity-walmart/304918/