Engagement
Marrying the best of physical and digital at all the key points of the customer journey to leverage the huge advantage of a captive audience – this is the core idea behind the Engagement pillar within the VERSE model. The path to recruiting shoppers in the new world demands a true omnichannel experience, says the brand owner.
Holistically approaching consumer engagement
This means using online channels to engage, inform and encourage – and POS, promotions and the cross-category opportunity inside the store to drive sales. Simply put, it is about presenting the key message for the consumer at the appropriate time, targeting specific shoppers with a clear tailored message just for them.
Dryburgh says: “We must engage in better ways with consumers. Doing this well means we have to understand the preferred communication channel of the consumer. What is key is digitally and physically connecting with the shopper, being plugged into the eco-system. The thing we still have in this industry is footfall, people going past the door. When they are there in the airport we need to attract them into our store and into our world.” Across the world we see online retailers understanding the value of a physical presence and starting to move into “bricks and mortar” retail. This clearly shows that omnichannel is the future.
Snapping up new consumers: Online retailers such as Alibaba are moving into physical retail with concepts such as Freshippo (pictured), challenging other channels to be more agile and flexible
