Omni-channelling guarantees success

“It's not about choosing a single channel. Quite the opposite. Customers are switching from channel to channel and their shopping \ consists of a series of interactions with a given brand, both online and offline,” says Mariusz Chmurzyński, the director of the consultancy department at Deloitte. According to Deloitte data 56 cents of every dollar spent in a traditional store results from online marketing, whereas three years ago it was only 36 cents. Those who have contact with many different sales channels spend more than twice as much as those who shop only in traditional stores. This means that retailers need to coordinate their sales marketing across all channels, regardless of where the final sale takes place. According to the report, many retailers, especially in the food segment, who initially failed to build up their presence on the internet, are now coming online. Online food sales increased by 30 pct last year with the largest rises seen in China (52 pct), South Korea (41 pct), the UK (8 pct) and France (7 pct). The customer experience plays a key role in sales. For example the Hy-Vee chain of American supermarkets has started working with the OrangeTheory chain of fitness centres, which has resulted in the opening of training rooms next to their stores. As the Deloitte report points out, retail sales regain vigour thanks to the latest technologies.