“Showrooming” – Retail’s Latest Challenge

 

“Showrooming” is a popular trend emerging among today’s digitally savvy shoppers. What is showrooming? Showrooming is the process of walking into a traditional brick and mortar store to check out a product in person, and then browse online to find that same product at the lowest possible price. Although this practice has been around for the past decade it is becoming more prevalent with the emergence of smart phones and other mobile devices.

This practice will only become more popular as technology continues to improve on what feels like a daily basis. I feel that these retailers should welcome the challenge of showrooming. This is a perfect opportunity for these major companies to re-evaluate their eCommerce strategy. Today, a majority of consumers prefer to shop online so producing a high quality eCommerce shopping experience is a necessity. A successful eCommerce strategy will help to drive sales and promote brand awareness.

While it is nearly impossible to eliminate showrooming altogether, creating a consistent customer experience across all of your sales channels can greatly simplify the execution your cross channel strategy. Learn how a PIM solution can help jumpstart your eCommerce initiatives today.

 

Don’t Miss Out! 2012 Heiler Innovation Days

Time is running out!  Join Heiler Feb 8th-10th as we host our annual event at the il Lugano Suite Hotel located in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  If you are currently exploring a need for a product information management solution, this is an excellent opportunity to meet with our existing customer base, partners, and experience our solution (view agenda).  Aside from an excellent opportunity to learn about today’s Product Information Management trends and best practices from industry leading experts, network with partners and potential customers, and receive a hands-on demonstration of our industry leading software, this event will also include:

• An all inclusive two nights stay at the luxurious il Lugano Suite Hotel
• Cocktail and dinnery party will be held on a luxurious three-hour yacht cruise
• Partner sponsorship opportunities
• A chance to win a brand new iPad 2 and much more!

This exclusive experience is being offered at the low cost of only $550!

Customers: Harman, Basics, Calumet, Ashford, Lawson Products, Canadian Bearings, Dal-Tile, and Lumens Light + Living.

Partners: SapientNitro, Ideosity, and Java Jugglers

Contact me or Register Today -seating is limited

What’s on your plate? PIM Best Practices for Food Retailers

Now more than ever, the demand for food manufacturers to label allergy, nutritional, and dietary information on all food products is at an all time high.  However, managing product information within the food retailing industry can be challenging due to large assortments, product complexity, and legal regulations.  Join us for this complimentary 30 minute webinar on January 31st at  10 AM EST.  Register Here

Innovative Retail Marketing Ideas

 

The National Retail Federation (NRF) will be hosting its “101st Annual Convention & EXPO” at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City from January 15-18. Often referred to by its nickname, “Retail’s Big Show,”  this event is where the world’s retailers and strategic partners gather once a year to share ideas, make connections, embrace technology and drive the industry forward.

While researching for the event (As we have a Heiler Sales Executive that will be walking the show – Fill out the contact me form if you are interested in setting up a meeting with our sales executive), I came across an interesting article from NRF’s Stores Magazine website. This piece, adequately titled “20 Ideas Worth Stealing,” provides a list of 20 innovative marketing and sales ideas that some companies used to drive business during 2011’s slow but relatively steady economic rebound. The article does not advocate directly “stealing” these ideas, but rather makes the suggestion that you share them with other colleagues or team member to get your creative juices flowing in 2012. These ideas cover everything from inventive apps for smartphones and tablets; vending machines dispensing fresh-baked goods; blizzard forecasts in the heat of summer; and even more convenient delivery options.

Here is just one of the many ideas I found very interesting in this article: Chinese fashion merchandiser and retailer 7GeGe Top Fashion took into account that mobile was pushing the need for speed to another level of consumer expectation and partnered with vendor Digby to mobile optimize their website. Here is the basis of the idea as read in the article:

“Key for 7GeGe will be delivering a unique and engaging mobile shopping experience to its hip, savvy and youngish Chinese consumer base while strengthening customer loyalty and delving into critical buying behavior data. To make it work, 7GeGe has determined it needs to give its customers the freedom to easily research and purchase items in as little as 60 seconds — all with features that include product images and descriptions, shop-by-category functionality, store locator, e-mail signup, order tracking, site search, ratings and reviews and promotional offers.

The site promises to be so timely that it will be able to monitor the fashions its customers are buying immediately. If certain items are selling more briskly, 7GeGe shifts merchandising within one day to accommodate the trends.”

I think this is a great idea that many retail companies can learn and benefit from. 7GeGe is a perfect example of a company that recognized a weakness in its multichannel strategy and developed a plan to keep up with today’s customer expectations. However, if companies plan to implement a similar strategy it is important to ensure that the product data being researched is accurate, enriched and up-to-date.

The entire list and article can be viewed here. Take a look at some of the other ideas that companies used in 2011 to drive business. Which ideas do you consider to be worth exploring to drive sales for your business in 2012? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section.

Looking to Buy? Google It!

 

How much do golf clubs cost? What brand of golf clubs should I buy? How much should I spend on my first set of golf clubs? Traditionally, the best way to find the answers to these questions was to visit various golf stores, talk to golf professionals, or gain feedback from friends or colleagues who have exhibited strong knowledge of the sport. You would then have to sit back and reflect on all of the information and comments you received on your long, tedious journey of finding the perfect set of beginner clubs. Today, the answers to those same questions can be answered with one phrase: “Google it.”

Whether you swear by the phrase or can’t stand it, we have all used it. To some it’s a cop out, to others it’s a single source of truth. Either way there is no denying that when it comes to shopping, today’s digital savvy consumer almost always starts their search to find the best product at the best price on Google.

Back in September, Google announced its plan to launch a product search page within Google Shopping. The idea behind this plan was to increase search relevance by displaying sets of products that are more appealing to consumers. This would be achieved by including multiple large product images in addition to text links. The redesign established requirements for retailers to provide more data about products in their product feeds such as UPC codes and manufacturer data.

In October, Google gradually began enforcing the new requirements by implementing additional checks over time in order to ensure a smooth roll out and give their merchants more time to react to errors and data problems. The Google Commerce Blogspot posted an entry that provided a few ways that a merchant can make sure their product data feed was in good shape.

Just recently, Google announced that its latest search change would encourage companies to update content. Retailers that planned to increase search rankings would need to keep their sites from going stale. The announcement was made in a blog post by Google employee, Amit Singhal, who offered the following example to readers: “For example, if you’re researching the best SLR cameras, or you’re in the market for a new car and want a Subaru Impreza review, you probably want the most up-to-date information.” Online merchants are being encouraged to adjust with the Google changes by seeking out the best ways to put fresh content onto their ecommerce sites. Kevin Lee, CEO of search marketing firm Didit, offers the following advice: “Merchants should rethink both their own product data descriptions and also make sure that user reviews are happening whenever possible, especially when they are good reviews.”

As you can see, it is important to provide fresh, up-to date product information. After all, if you are making the effort to show up in search results when potential consumers are “googling” your product, wouldn’t it be wise to make sure that when they click on your product there is no need for them to search anywhere else?  Companies that monitor their product data through the use of a Product Information Management (PIM) Solution hold a competitive advantage over companies that don’t. And if you don’t believe me…Google it!

Sources:

Google to beef up search within Google Shopping

‘Fresh’ is the new black: Google’s latest search change encourages updated content