Multi channel-retailing

Multi-channel Retailing:
An Introduction
Developed and published by Sponsored by
GUIDE
New technologies, such as mobile, touchscreens and tablets, are offering
retailers more ways to connect with customers. Learn what technologies
are available and how to maximize their effectiveness.

2© 2012 NetWorld Alliance LLC | Sponsored by Frank Mayer and Associates Inc.
Contents
Page 3 About the sponsors
Page 4 Introduction: What is multi-channel retailing?
Page 5 Chapter 1 | Benefits of multi-channel retailing
Improved customer perception
Increased sales
Better data collection
Enhanced productivity
Best practices
Page 9 Chapter 2 | Tablets
Benefits
Best practices
Page 12 Chapter 3 | Mobile
Benefits
Best practices
Page 14 Chapter 4 | Touchscreens
Benefits
Best practices
Page 16 Conclusion | The future: Omni-channel retailing
Multi-channel Retailing: An Introduction

About the sponsors
Published by NetWorld Alliance
© 2012 NetWorld Alliance LLC
Written by Emily Wheeler, contributing editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com.
Tom Harper, president and publisher
Joseph Grove, vice president and executive editor
Emily Wheeler, managing editor of special publications
Courtney Bailey, assistant managing editor of special publications
Frank Mayer and Associates Inc. designs, engineers, prototypes
and produces retail merchandising displays, interactive programs,
kiosks, store fixtures and promotional marketing programs that engage
the customer at the point of sale, provide a competitive advantage in the
retail environment, maximize client objectives and increase sales. Its in-
house resources of design, engineering, production, prototyping, assembly,
distribution and customer service provides an environment of tightly in-
tegrated resources for complete project management from creative design
through store delivery. These resources allow the company to be flexible to
program changes, compress timeframes and deliver a final product that
is on-time and on-budget, with quality results.
In an ever changing marketplace, Frank Mayer is the constant that
provides clients with a creative, responsive and thorough approach to
every in-store merchandising or interactive kiosk program. The com-
pany’s mission is to create an environment which focuses on turning
targeted in-store merchandising initiatives into guaranteed results.
RetailCustomerExperience.com, operated by Louisville, Ky.-
based NetWorld Alliance, is the leading online publisher of news and
information on how retailers can differentiate their offerings, create
customer excitement and loyalty, and increase revenue by improving
the customer experience. The content, which is updated every business
day and read by professionals around the world, is provided free of
charge to readers.

4
Introduction:
What is multi-channel retailing?
D
espite a still-weak economy, retail
sales are showing a rebound. Ac-
cording to the U.S. Department of
Commerce, total retail sales for the third
quarter of 2011 were $1,052,734. Sales
improved even more during the holiday
season. The National Retail Federation said
retail sales for the 2011 holiday season rose
4.2 percent from 2010, reaching $471.5 bil-
lion. Clearly, people are still shopping.
But how people shop is changing. In the
third quarter of 2011, 4.6 percent of retail
sales were ecommerce sales, according to
the U.S. Department of Commerce — an
increase of approximately 13 percent from
the previous year.
Not only are people shopping more from
their home computers, they also are using
new technology within a store. Approxi-
mately 35 percent of American adults own
a smartphone, according to a recent survey
by the Pew Research Center, and 11 percent
own tablet computers. And sales are con-
tinuing to grow; Apple, maker of the popu-
lar iPhone and iPad, posted record profits
for 2011, due in large part to the sale of
those devices. Shoppers not only are using
their smartphones and tablets to purchase,
but also to do research within a store.
The challenge for retailers, then, is to incor-
porate new technology with their existing
sales channels, to create a seamless omni-
channel experience for shoppers.
“To the consumer who uses multiple en-
gagement points, such as the Web, a call
center and digital signage within a store, it’s
all one brand,” said Ravi Bagal, vice presi-
dent for Washington, D.C.-based Verizon
Retail, the retail arm of global communica-
tions company Verizon. “But the dirty little
secret is that usually, those channels are
all operating as different silos, not as one
unified brand. It’s up to the retailer to blur
those lines and create a unified experience.”
This guide, sponsored by Frank Mayer
and Associates, will discuss the benefits of
multi-channel retailing and how to imple-
ment it across various engagement points.
We would like to thank Frank Mayer and
Associates for allowing us to provide this
guide at no cost to the reader.
Multi-channel retailing involves using
a variety of engagement points to
create a seamless shopping experience
for customers. Those engagement
points include:
Brick-and-mortar stores
Websites
Tablets
Kiosks
Smartphones
Digital signage
Call centers
Social media
© 2012 NetWorld Alliance LLC | Sponsored by Frank Mayer and Associates Inc.
The channels

C
reating a successful multi-channel
experience can seem intimidating to
many retailers, who may wonder if
the effort is worth it. They may not have a
choice, however.
“Consumers are expecting this kind of in-
tegration already,” said Ron Bowers, senior
vice president of Frank Mayer and Associ-
ates, a Grafton, Wis.-based merchandising
company. “They expect that if they order
an item online, they can return it in the
store, that kind of thing. It’s up to retailers
to make sure that expectation is met.”
But multi-channel retailing also offers
plenty of benefits to retailers, benefits that
make investing in the strategy worthwhile.
Improved customer perception
“Channels are disintegrating for custom-
ers,” said Jeremy Gustafson, vice president
at KSC Kreate, a digital commerce agency
based in Hollywood, Fla. “People are watch-
ing television and using their tablet at the
same time. They expect the same kind of
integration with their shopping experience.”
Brands who don’t provide that kind of
experience, he said, are likely to lose cus-
tomers, especially as the digital generation
gains even more buying power.
Stores who do create a seamless experi-
ence that integrates all different forms of
technology, however, can gain significant
customer loyalty. Those brands are per-
ceived as forward-thinking and responsive
to customer’s needs — qualities that will
keep customers coming back.
That improved perception offers another
advantage, as well. In a world of big-box
stores and online shopping, finding the
best price is easier than ever for customers.
A store that is perceived as responsive to
customer needs and gives customers easy
access to a variety of channels can differen-
tiate itself in a crowded field. That allows
the brand to compete on the experience
offered, rather than just price. Customers
might be willing to pay a little more for the
convenience, and will come back repeat-
edly, and brands don’t have to slice their
profits just to keep up.
Increased sales
The primary driver for a retailer adopting
any strategy is, of course, increasing profit,
most frequently by increasing sales. Multi-
Chapter 1 Benefits of multi-channel retailing
Shopping no longer takes place exclusively in brick-and-mortar locations. Customers are blurring the lines between touchpoints, and they
expect retailers to keep up.

CHAPTER 1 Benefits of multi-channel retailing
channel retailing, by offering a variety of
engagement points for the customer to
make a purchase, increases the convenience
and ease of sales, thus boosting profit.
A customer who thinks about buying a
pair of pants, for example, may not want to
drive to the mall, park, walk to the store,
find the pants and try them on. For that
customer, she can go online at home and
order the pants from the store’s website.
Another customer, however, might be in
the store trying on the pants and decide
she’d like them in a different color. In
that case, she can use an in-store kiosk
to find the pants in the preferred color,
order them and have them delivered to her
home. Still another customer can use her
smartphone to take a picture of the pants,
send it to a friend and discuss whether to
purchase them or not. Having a variety of
engagement points gives retailers more
tools to make a sale.
Better data collection
Knowing the customer is a key tenant for
successful retailing, and multi-channel en-
gagement points provide more opportuni-
ties to gather information about customers.
There are two benefits to the data collec-
tion offered by multi-channel retail: First,
the possibility for gathering more infor-
mation exists, and the information can be
used more effectively.
“People usually are more comfortable
entering information themselves, rather
than giving it to a salesperson,” said Steve
Deckert, marketing manager for Sweet
Tooth, a Toronto-based provider of loyalty
programs to retailers. “So they are far more
likely to enter their email address into a
kiosk than give it to a cashier. At the same
time, by having that information available
across a variety of channels, the retailer has
more opportunities to capture the infor-
mation, and more of it.”
If a retailer can track what a customer is
purchasing, and where, more targeted
marketing can be introduced. Someone
who tends to browse online and then pur-
chase in-store, for example, can be emailed
an invitation to a private showing in a
store, and the list of products to be shown
can be sent before the event, increasing the
likelihood of purchase.
Not only is it more likely that the customer
will provide important information, but if
all the different channels are communicat-
ing, then the information only needs to be
entered once.
“If you’re going to ask someone for infor-
mation about themselves, it needs to be
available whenever they come to you,” said
Verizon’s Bagel. “Otherwise, it feels intru-
sive and annoying to have to repeat the
same information over and over again.”
Enhanced productivity
Multi-channel retailing offers benefits for
more than shoppers. Workers, too, can
benefit from the use of new technology,
Multi-channel retailing, by offering a
variety of engagement points for the
customer to make a purchase, increases
the convenience and ease of sales.

because it arms them with more informa-
tion and increases their efficiency.
A tablet, for example, frees employees
from the point-of-sale system, instead
allowing them to carry the register with
them. Employees can go directly to the
aid of customers, helping them to find out
what is in stock, what is available at other
stores and when new products might be
launching. The tablet also can contain
information about the loyalty program,
so a frequent customer can be given VIP
status. Then, when a purchase is ready to
be made, the customer does not have to
stand in line, but rather can simply con-
tinue talking to the salesperson and make
her purchase via tablet.
Best practices
While every type of channel has its own
unique set of challenges, there are some
strategies that are true across all engage-
ment points.
Be consistent. Messaging across all chan-
nels should have the same look and feel;
the customer should always know exactly
what brand she is interacting with.
“Traditionally, retailers have approached
each channel individually,” said Gustafson.
“What is needed, though, is to create a
single marketing message, and then figure
out how to deploy it across all channels.
The messaging doesn’t have to be identical,
but it all needs to be clearly related.”
Provide a value-add. Make sure each
engagement point offers something to the
customer. An in-store kiosk that simply
accesses the company’s website, for ex-
ample, is not bringing anything unique to
the customer; instead, she can check the
website at home, on her own. The same
is true of a tablet. If the salesperson with
the tablet does not have access to more or
better information than the customer can
access via her own tablet or smartphone,
the application will not bring much value
to the transaction.
Security. There is a fine line between be-
ing helpful and being intrusive, and it’s a
line that easily is crossed. Customers are
aware of security issues, and are wary of
providing too much personal information.
“There has to be a clear connection be-
tween the information collected, how it’s
used and what value the customer receives
from it,” said Bagel. “Understand your
brand strategy and what level of intimacy
is appropriate. Depending on your clien-
tele, privacy might not be as important —
digital natives tend to be far less concerned
with privacy than Baby Boomers, for
example. But everyone wants to know that
they will receive a benefit from giving you
information.”
When all the different retail channels are communicating
with each other, information only needs to be entered
once (i.e., a shopper can sign up for a loyalty card online
and use it in the store).

Be committed. Multi-channel retailing
requires an investment in time and money.
There needs to be a clear strategy across all
teams, and cooperation is critical to success.
“In order to have a totally seamless solu-
tion, all stakeholders need to be involved,
giving their insight and taking ownership
and having support and understanding as
to what is being done, why and how,” said
Bowers. “This is not a sometime commit-
ment; this is a total marketing strategy for
the retailer to invest in the future of the
customer acquisition, retention process
and loyalty programs.”

T
here are more than 30 different
tablets available on the market
today. Some of the most popular
include Apple’s iPad, Amazon’s Kindle
Fire and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab, according
to PCMag. Tablets are an increasingly
popular option for both consumers and
retailers, due to their relatively low price
point and powerful computing capabilities.
Benefits
Tablets can be used by both customers
and in-store personnel. For customers, the
tablet serves as an extension of the website,
and as a comparison shopper. Custom-
ers can access the company website to see
what’s available. At the same time, and the
challenge that retailers need to overcome,
a shopper can find a product she likes, and
then see if another vendor offers it for less.
For the salesperson, tablets can be a pow-
erful customer service and line-busting
tool. If a retailer develops a specific tablet
application, it can provide more informa-
tion than simple access to the website. A
tablet application can integrate with inven-
tory management, give the salesperson
access to the customer’s loyalty program
and connect the salesperson with similar
stores across the country, as well as corpo-
rate headquarters.
“The benefit of a tablet at retail is that it
allows the customer (and salesperson) to
bring it right to the product under con-
sideration, initially providing information
that the consumer can ‘double-check’ on
the item itself, and possibly complete the
transaction without having to spend time
at a sales desk or in a check-out line,” said
Dave Zoerb, senior vice president of mar-
keting at Frank Mayer and Associates. “It
makes for a more dynamic, interactive and
convenient sales experience.”
A tablet also can serve as a POS system.
This most famously is occurring at Apple
stores, where there no longer is a tradi-
tional check-out counter. Instead, Apple
associates roam the floor with enhanced
iPod Touches, and can process payments
directly on the devices. Customers no lon-
ger have to wait in line, and the perception
is that the check-out time is much faster.
Chapter 2 Tablets
Tablets can be powerful tools for employees, creating
a more dynamic sales experience and serving as a POS
system.

CHAPTER 2 Tablets
Training also is a benefit of a tablet system.
According to the U.S. Department of Com-
merce, employment in the fourth quarter
of 2011 rose by 200,000 jobs, much of that
seasonal retail work. Seasonal workers
need to be brought up to speed quickly,
and even long-term workers need to know
about special deals or promotions. Tablets
can offer access to that information, get-
ting workers onto the floor more quickly.
“Salespeople are excited to work with tab-
lets,” said Tom Tamulewicz, vice president
of research and development at Columbia,
Md.-based MICROS-Retail, a provider
of enterprise applications for retail estab-
lishments. “People are comfortable using
them, even if they haven’t before, and they
think they’re fun to use. That gets people
eager to work with them, and eager to get
out on the floor and sell.”
In addition to training seasonal workers,
tablets also give retailers flexibility in pay-
ment acceptance. Because tablets are less
expensive than a traditional POS system,
a few can be purchased for known busy
times and shipped to a store. The store can
have extra registers when needed, without
having to worry about installing a complex
system, including finding space and paying
for wiring. And of course, when the busy
season has evaporated, the tablets can be
put away, unlike a permanent installation.
Best practices
Usefulness. As discussed in Chapter 1
it’s important that the tablet application
being used by the salesperson offer more
than simply the standard information on
the website. If a customer approaches the
salesperson with a question, she wants to
feel she is getting information she could
not have as easily found for herself. Make
sure the tablet application is integrated
with other systems.
Security. If used as a POS system, make
sure the system is as secure as a standard
POS application.
“The same best practices for security apply,”
said Tamulewicz. “Make sure everything is
encrypted, restrict access only to those ap-
plications that need it and restrict the num-
ber of systems that touch anything critical.”
Wi-Fi enabled. It seems simple, but to en-
courage tablet use in the store, make sure
Wi-Fi is enabled, and free. Customers are
becoming used to having Wi-Fi access,
and may become resentful if they can’t
access their tablets on demand. This is
especially true for the new class of tablets,
such as the Kindle Fire, that do not have
any 3G capability.

CHAPTER 2 Tablets
Seva Beauty: A tablet success story
One chain that has successfully integrated tablets is
Seva Beauty, a salon located in Walmart stores that of-
fers a full range of services, including manicures, pedi-
cures and eyebrow threading. Seva Beauty operates in
nine states, with plans to open more.
Each Seva Beauty location has at least one iPad, used
for check-in and check-out. A secondary iPad also is
used as a POS system.
“Because customers can check themselves in and out,
it’s created a really dynamic in-store aspect,”said Vas
Maniatis, co-founder of Seva Beauty.“The iPads also
changed the aesthetics of the salon.”
The iPads also encourage upselling. When customers
check in, any daily specials can be promoted on the
welcome screen, as well as the loyalty program. Cus-
tomers are guaranteed to see that marketing, and since
they are already using the iPad, they are more likely to
agree to sign up for the loyalty program.
Monitoring is easier with the iPad, as well. Since the entire POS system can be accessed re-
motely via an iPad, a manager can check sales numbers, notice any deviations and determine
solutions. The Facetime ability also allows a manager to see how an aesthetician is performing
a service, without having to be onsite.
Training is another benefit. With the iPad, workers can download training videos whenever
there is downtime. The system can track who has watched the videos, and can administer
tests after the video has been watched to ensure the information has been retained. The train-
ing is dynamically tied into the POS system, so a worker only can perform a service once she
has been certified.
“The iPad just gives us more flexibility,”said Maniatis.“And we’re always finding new uses for it.”
One salon is taking advantage of tablets to
encourage upselling, promote loyalty programs
and improve training.

A
ccording to an August 2010 survey
by Dublin, Ohio-based research firm
Sterling Commerce, 15 percent of
U.S. consumers have used their mobile de-
vices to make purchases. Ann Arbor, Mich.-
based ForeSee Results found that, in 2010,
30 percent of shoppers used their phones for
research, such as comparing product details,
looking up prices and using store loca-
tors. Fifteen percent of shoppers compared
products and prices while in-store. Clearly,
mobile is an important part of the shopping
experience, and growing.
Benefits
Mobile apps differ from simply accessing
the website. Mobile apps offer retailers the
opportunity to do targeted marketing, such
as delivering coupons based on location,
and can encourage on-site purchasing.
“People use mobile phones for conve-
nience,” said Jonathan Cook, head of new
media at Valtech UK, a digital consultancy
firm providing strategic results using engi-
neering muscle and creative edge. “Mobile
can be used for everything from geo-loca-
tion opportunities to advice within show
rooms or shops in the vicinity of a user, to
ease of payment or ease of product feature
comparison.”
Mobile also starts a conversation. People
use their phones for more than just dial-
ing friends; they also use smartphones
to access social media, such as Facebook
and Twitter. People can “like” a brand on
Facebook instantly via a smartphone, and
a Twitter conversation can share a cus-
tomer’s view of a store (whether positive or
negative) in real time.
QR codes are another use for mobile. A
code can be attached to an item, and the
user takes an image of the code with her
phone, which brings her to a website. That
website might have a special offer for that
item, or provide more information about
it. QR codes make shopping a more inter-
active experience between customer and
retailer.
As with tablets, mobile applications can be
used as a POS system. Using a smartphone
as a POS system offers flexibility, especially
for small retailers, and can decrease wait
time for customers. It is important, how-
ever, for there to be a clear system in place
for customers to check out. Having to seek
Chapter 3 Mobile
Uses of smartphones in retail, 2010
30
20
10
0
Comparing
product
details
Make
purchases
Research
15% 15%
30%
“Mobile can be used for everything from geo-location opportunities to ad-
vice within show rooms or shops in the vicinity of a user, to ease of payment
or ease of product feature comparison.”
— Jonathan Cook, head of new media,Valtech UK

CHAPTER 3 Mobile
out a salesperson to pay can feel frustrating
and chaotic to some customers. Make sure
salespeople are easily identifiable, and keep
the check-out process efficient.
Best practices
Design. It may be tempting to use the
website as a mobile application. However,
it’s worth it to invest in a specific mobile
app, one that is designed for smartphones.
Doing so will ensure a better user experi-
ence, and decrease the chances of crashing,
leading to frustration on the part of the
customer and salesperson.
Security. As with tablet applications, it’s
important to implement security stan-
dards. Encrypt information whenever
possible, and restrict access only to people
who need it.
Be part of the conversation. Because
smartphones encourage the use of social
media, it is important for a retailer to be a
part of that conversation.
“Anywhere someone can say something
negative about your company, you should
be there,” said Sweet Tooth’s Deckert. “It
actually can present an opportunity to be
extraordinary. Say someone tweets some-
thing negative about their experience at
your store. If you’re paying attention, you
can see that tweet, and approach them to
fix the problem before they leave. With
that kind of attention to detail, they’re
likely to tweet about that, too, leaving the
customer (and their friends) with a positive
feeling about your service.”

T
ouchscreens can form an integral
part of the in-store experience.
They come in two forms, which
can be used either separately or together:
kiosks and digital signage.
Benefits
A touchscreen encourages interactivity
and engagement on the part of the user.
People are becoming more used to them,
thanks to the prevalence of smartphones
and tablets, and feel comfortable using a
touchscreen.
“Touchscreens are really changing tech-
nology,” said Chad Wagner, industry
marketing and PR manager for retail store
solutions at Palo Alto, Calif.-based HP, a
provider of technology solutions. “People
expect it now. I’ve seen them walk up to
a kiosk with a keyboard and try to touch
the screen, and get frustrated when that
doesn’t work.”
In addition to interactivity, kiosks and
digital signage both can be used to convey
information to customers. Digital signage
can advertise sales or promotions, and at-
tract the attention of passersby. Kiosks can
be used for wayfinding purposes, to sign
up for loyalty programs or to find out more
information about items in stock.
One of the advantages of both digital
signage and kiosks is the technology is
provided by the retailer. Instead of hav-
ing to depend on the customer having a
smartphone or tablet, the retailer installs
the kiosk or digital signage and runs it. The
customer is sure to see it simply by enter-
ing the store, and it requires no previous
buy-in by the customer to see the messag-
ing. The technology is a more passive form
of marketing, which can make it more
effective and give it a broader reach.
Best practices
Content. Content on digital signage and
kiosks must be kept fresh and be relevant
to the customer. Advertising high-end
luxury items at a big-box store will not
have an impact, because that’s not what the
customer is looking for in that particular
shopping experience. If the content is static
or repetitive, though, the customer easily
will learn to tune it out. Consider partner-
ing with a content provider to ensure the
best content possible is displayed.
Chapter 4 Touchscreens
Kiosks can be used to engage with customers, for way-
finding purposes, to sign up for loyalty programs or to
find out more information about items in stock. FrankMayerandAssociates

CHAPTER 4 Touchscreens
Durability. Kiosks, especially, can see
hard use from a variety of customers. But
if the kiosk is inoperable when the cus-
tomer goes to use it, it will leave a negative
impression. Make sure to choose a durable,
ruggedized kiosk.
Ease of use. Kiosks must be intuitive and
easy to use. Don’t have too much informa-
tion on any one screen, and make sure
there are large buttons that clearly indi-
cate what the customer is supposed to do.
When using a touchscreen that requires a
customer to type information, make sure
the buttons are large enough that typos
don’t occur, and sensitive enough that it is
not difficult to type the information in. If
the loyalty program requires an email ad-
dress, make sure the “@” button is clearly
visible when typing in the address.
Easy to read. Digital signage only has a
few seconds to grab a customer’s attention.
Don’t fill the screen with small text. Keep it
simple and eye-catching.
Integration. Integrate social media and
QR codes with the digital signage. Perhaps
keep the Facebook page posted on the
digital signage, or let tweets be displayed
in real-time. That allows customers to
interact directly with the brand, and keeps
them engaged.

A
s multi-channel retailing becomes
more prevalent, retailers are look-
ing to the future.
“It’s not really about multi-channel so
much,” said Frank Mayers’ Bowers. “It
will ultimately become omni-channel
retailing, where each engagement point
is so integrated together that it offers an
absolutely seamless experience across all
channels, which will allow the consumer
to shop the way they want, where they
want and when. This shopping experience
engages rather than touches and turns
loyalty into customers that are evangelists
for their store.”
MICROS-Retail’s Tamulewicz agrees.
“Today, people are focused on punching
through silo holes to accommodate
near-term business objectives,” he said.
“But eventually, there is going to be a
consolidation of systems. Instead of one
system in charge of customers and one in
charge of promotions, for example, there
will be one system with a lot of different
functionality.”
According to Stamford, Conn.-based
research firm Gartner, sales of smartphones
will reach 1.1 billion by 2015, and more
than 408 million tablet computers will be
sold by 2014. It is incumbent on retailers
to integrate these technologies into their
marketing efforts. Doing so may seem
intimidating, but these technologies
also present an opportunity for retailers
to create a personalized, one-on-one
relationship with customers that engenders
loyalty and ultimately boosts profits.
“New technology and applications keep
coming and going at a blistering pace, but
the faster the flow of new elements, the
more opportunities there are to create
sales,” said Frank Mayers’ Zoerb. “Retailers,
and even brand marketers, will need to
develop the capabilities and skill sets to
manage this new technology and create
responsive, coordinated programs to
maximize the results.”
Partnering with a technology provider who
has a deep understanding of all the retail
engagement points can help a brand know
how to take advantage of the available
technology and create a program that not
only will work today, but also can grow and
change as customer behavior does.
Conclusion The future: Omni-channel retailing
“The shopping experience will ultimately become
omni-channel retailing, where each engagement
point is so integrated together that it offers an ab-
solutely seamless experience across all channels.”
— Ron Bowers, senior vice president, Frank Mayer and Associates

Multi channel-retailing

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