Omnichannel Today

Retailers are starting to thrive again thanks to eCommerce. Which retailers will survive?

The Rise and Demise of Ecommerce

Since the end of the 1990s, ecommerce has gone from minor curiosity to full-blown economic powerhouse. Amazon started out selling books by mail and then took over the e-book market with its Kindle devices and AZW e-book format. A few years ago, most people still thought of Amazon as a book seller, and they probably spent as much time or more shopping for books at Barnes and Noble as they did browsing online retailers. Today, most people know that Amazon is the biggest online retailer and that it sells everything from electronics and kitchen gadgets to auto parts.

How To Connect With Website Visitors in an Authentic Way

At the core of content marketing – and much of the rest of modern web marketing tactics – sits a single concept: connecting with visitors. It’s all too common for companies to lose sight of this core issue, pumping out meaningless, worthless, inauthentic content to fill space on their blogs, YouTube channels, and social media accounts. Or, even worse, to make genuine attempts to connect and nonetheless fall short due to a perceived lack of authenticity.

3 Things Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Successful Ecommerce Brands

Whether you run a brick-and-mortar business or are thinking of starting a digital-based company, there is much to learn from the success of large ecommerce firms around the world. No matter what the industry, online businesses have shaken up the way people buy and sell, communicate, share and learn in all corners of the globe.

10 Tech Tasks Small Businesses Should Outsource

Outsourcing can be a great way for small businesses and startups to take care of tedious tasks while also boosting productivity and saving money. By outsourcing technology-related necessities, small business owners and employees can focus on more important responsibilities, like sales, customer service and more, without hiring more in-house employees.

Other stuff we read this week:

What 10 Travel Brand CEOs Said About Personalization in 2015
All Amazon Wants for Christmas is its Own Trucking Fleet.
Winning Over Big Box Retailers.
The Container Store gives (social) power to the people
Why 2016 is a Big Year for Twitter and Nintendo

Check back next time for the latest developments in omnichannel! We’ll bring you news, facts, opinions, and infographics that will help you gain a broad perspective of the industry. Drop in, stick around, and subscribe to our newsletter – and who knows? You just might learn something.

With the increasing integration of technology and data in sales, there has never been a better time to use location intelligence in marketing. Using location data is too easy and too beneficial to ignore. Location features help businesses stand out amongst competitors and are a staple for today’s leaders in marketing. As the concept grows, customers are beginning to expect it when using technology in their shopping experience.

Location intelligence is a must for companies that want to be successful. Read on to find out why.

It’s too easy

Working with all types of data is easy, and location data is no exception.

With a quality Data Management Platform, businesses can store, manage, organize and analyze their data in one entity. Because companies are utilizing DMPs more than ever, there is now an abundance of platforms in the marketplace ranging in price and features. With several types of platforms on the market, companies are able to choose the DMP that best suits their needs in terms of performance ability and price.

The right DMP makes data easy to use and understand. And finding the right DMP is too easy for companies not to utilize.

It’s an asset to businesses

When companies think “big data” there are certain metrics that come to mind. Typically, businesses look at what is being purchased or who is doing the purchasing.

Amazon Local customizes its deals based on customers' location
Amazon Local customizes its deals based on customers’ location

Location data is often underrated, but just as important.

Location data gives insight to consumer behavior based on a key demographic. When analyzed, this data shows geographic patterns and trends. Companies can use this information to segment their audience. These segments can then be targeted with personalized messages specifically designed to their wants and needs.

One company that utilizes the power of location data is Amazon. Through their Amazon Local feature, the company sends its consumers deals they may be interested in based on their location. For example, emails that I receive are based on my home address and contain offers just a few miles away from my house. All offers show how far away the brick-and-mortars are, which can be helpful for consumers who don’t want to make a far drive to use their deal.

It’s a customer favorite

If there’s anyone who values location data more than businesses, it’s their audience.

As businesses are beginning to include location data into their services, customers have become exposed to new interactive features that rely on location data.

One of the most loved features that uses location data includes a GPS element that shows shoppers where the nearest store location is. This feature is often available on apps or websites. Some companies have expounded on this ability by adding in-store pickup options for customers when they checkout online.

The ability to purchase online and pick up in-store is not universally used by all retailers – at least, not yet. A Forrester report says that 50% of consumers expect the option to buy online and pick up in-store. As companies gradually rely more on more on technology in marketing, this already large fraction will likely increase. Companies who have not implemented location services like this need to seriously consider doing so; otherwise, they risk being left behind with the technologically-impaired.

Walmart's blog shows its app, Shop My Store, which lets customers find items in the brick-and-mortar.
Walmart’s blog shows its app, Shop My Store, which lets customers find items in the brick-and-mortar.

Consumers also love retailers that incorporate item locators into their business strategy. Large stores like Walmart can often be overwhelming. However, by introducing an app that shows an item’s availability and aisle location, Walmart turns a headache-inducing shopping experience into a 5-minute spree. Employees have commented that the feature, in some cases, has actually saved sales by making the shopping experience easier and more convenient for the customer.

Services that incorporate location data work because customers love them. Features with location intelligence make shopping experiences more convenient. And, because an easy shopping experience correlates with a powerful shopping experience, customers prefer marketing that considers location data.

Hungry for more?

Love reading about the latest in the datasphere? Learn more about some of today’s top data trends, or check out some recent case studies from Forbes that inspired this post.