Author: shopkick

An Omnichannel Future Beckons: Is Your Brand Ready For it?

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When Casey Carl was appointed as the Chief Omni Strategy Officer by Walmart, he thought it to be an unusual title. “They ran out of characters,” Mr. Carl joked. However, the results of Walmart in April 2020 were a testament to the unique title adopted by the retail behemoth. When the world struggled to restore balance, Walmart witnessed a massive jump of 74% in its omnichannel sales. This included online and in-store pickups. 

The power of an omnichannel strategy is that it can transform a transaction into an experience, a distinguished experience, to be precise. The pandemic has accelerated the digital adoption rate significantly across the globe. Something as basic as search interest in “how to buy online” has become 2x since March 2020. In addition, evolved consumers started showing new digital patterns because of their continuous exposure to technology, from work to play. 

As a result, businesses had to reinvent themselves. A McKinsey report shows that nearly all organizations are restructuring their business models to be more digital due to the impact of COVID-19 on consumer behaviors. Aligning business goals to prepare for an omnichannel future has become imperative. However, there were few key things that brands need to focus on while they reinvent themselves.

Understanding Customer Behavior Through First-Party Data

Brands must pre-empt customer actions for repeated conversions. A solid digital presence is critical due to customers spending more time online. Brands are focused on making the best use of customer data to understand individual preferences closely. However, sitting on a bed of disparate data is futile. The right customer data platform helps create a 360-degree customer profile by abolishing silos and centralizing data. Key insights extracted from this data help marketers create actionable, hyper-personalized campaigns that ace performance metrics. The overwhelming volume of data can be intimidating. That is why analytical features like RFM (Recency, Frequency, Monetary), recommendation engine, dynamic segments help brands sharpen their engagement strategy with data intelligence. 

Connecting the Data to Multiple Touchpoints

Customers migrated to online shopping for almost every purchase since March 2020. As a result, the frequency of orders increased inadvertently, and everyone desired a seamless, secure digital experience. Suddenly, in a world where retention and engagement became more critical than acquisition, brands needed competent campaign management solutions. Testing and optimizing campaigns became crucial because no brand wants their creative campaigns to land up in spam. In addition, evolved consumers have started to show new patterns of shopping across channels. This has led brands to adopt more popular online channels and run intelligent campaigns. Thus, although an omnichannel strategy assumed importance, it is essential to have a razor-sharp focus on value creation and facilitate an integrated experience. Utilizing behavioral data to create hyper-personalized experiences at scale makes the customer journey more contextual. 

Non-personalized Communication Equals Clogging Device Space

The new normal gave more time to users to filter out messages that were not relevant at the time. Brands decided to grab this opportunity and not restrict themselves to first-name personalization. When non-essential expenditures choked, Lego, a famous global toy production company, managed to deliver value through educational tips and resources on playing well at home to its target demographic. The initiatives were geared towards inspiring families across the globe to get creative during the pandemic. Lego’s inclusive content acted as a catalyst for its sales figures through the pandemic. Most brands aim to incite the same excitement as the Netflix “tudum,” the iconic sound that plays when you play any content. The joy of getting an apt recommendation for your next binge-watch show is unparallel. Marketing Technology makes it possible by personalizing web and app domain elements based on behavioral data. Micro-customisation adds more value to customer journeys accelerating conversions for brands. Omnichannel is almost synchronous with personalization. You don’t want to be a brand with a ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ reputation. It is vital to tailor interactions across channels and do so consistently since data suggests that 85% of digital consumers start the purchasing workflow on one device yet finish it on another. 

Build a customer-centric brand across channels It is crucial to understand and align your business before jumping onto shiny technology solutions that could poke a hole in your capital expenditures. Putting customers at the center of your CX strategy is not enough. Brands need to have complete clarity on how to establish a lasting relationship with their customers. The customer is always on the hunt for:  

  • Contextual experiences, so leverage data and deliver up to their expectations 
  • Personalized journey, so recommend their next purchase before they know they need it 
  • Seamless journey across channels, hence be where your customers need you  The new digital pattern of shopping across channels is here to stay. So how do you know if your brand is ready for the future? If you have revisited your marketing budget and landed yourself an easy-to-use solution that helps transform data into insights, builds intelligent campaigns across channels, and empowers you to engage personally, you are on the right track. A well-rounded solution is the need of the hour. Increasing the customer’s lifetime value will be possible if your customer feels important across devices and channels. Whether they want to purchase the app, website, or even in-store, make their experience count. Know what they want before they know it and have them buy from you again. Amidst all of this, remember that a Chief Omni Strategy Officer is not that unusual a title after all. 

Shopkick’s omnichannel solution helps partners keep their stores, brands, and products top of mind throughout the entire shopper journey — whether they’re at-home, on-the-go, or in-store. To learn more about our ability to drive awareness and engagement along the full path to purchase, contact us.

 

The article has been written by Anusree Saha, Assistant Manager – Brand Marketing, WebEngage. This article was from Dataquest and was legally licensed through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.

Omnichannel the Way Forward for Retail Customer Experience

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As consumer behaviour continues to change due to the impact the global Covid-19 pandemic has had both on business and individuals – retailers are increasingly having to position themselves to provide omnichannel services that can meet these evolving digital consumer expectations.
Notably, consumer behaviour is comfortably and continuously adapting in response to factors such as fluctuating income, time availability, social distancing restrictions and overall decrease in availability of in person service provision. All this has irrevocably affected people’s priorities and values, as well as the time they spend online and how they engage with brands.
Consequently, retailers – almost by default – are having to embrace omnichannel services such as contactless payment, social commerce and virtual consultations by adding channels that help facilitate these activities.
A recent report by Accenture, titled New Era in Customer Engagement, reveals that 71% of consumers surveyed reported spending more time online during the COVID-19 crisis, with 76% expecting this behaviour to continue post-pandemic.
It is thus evident that a digital retail strategy has become the default, and the emergence of the new digital customer profile is fast becoming the mainstay for customer attraction and retention. However, these profiles will require ongoing analysis to maintain the right mix of customer sales and services channels for individual consumers.

Shift in customer interaction

In recent times, we’ve seen a huge shift in customer interaction volumes and the types of transactions over these engagement channels. Concurrently, the timeline for developing deeper relationships with consumers is significantly compressed and demonstrating empathy through digital channels has become the standard during difficult times.
Essentially, the customer experience (CX) has evolved into a partnership, with consumers no longer simply purchasing products and walking away. They now expect brands to listen to what they want, anticipate their needs in some instances and they expect to buy ‘an experience’ from every brand they engage with. However, while delivering a great experience will indeed get you a long way, consumers also expect more purposeful interactions with retailers.
Like never before, consumers can evaluate the CX, meaning that businesses have to rethink their operations, especially as most organisations are moving to digital platforms. The requirement to adapt to customer needs is therefore becoming truly essential.
Managing the customer journey and making sure that it responds to changes in customer dynamics, as well as ensuring that brand interaction becomes an experience, is key for organisations to successfully prepare for a digital future.

Dominance of personalisation

 A clear trend that is emerging in the customer journey is the dominance of personalisation. Most consumers want to feel as though brands know them and what they want. Increasingly, personalisation tactics are being employed by retailers to stand out from their competitors and to tailor the experience around the customer.
As a result, we are seeing a rise in a multi-channel customer engagement approach, as consumers expect a fully connected experience and to be reached on the channels of their choice. Offering cheaper items or faster delivery times is no longer the main differentiator for retailers. A new wave of customer demand and expectation has emerged and organisations need to manage this. Automation is therefore becoming increasingly important.
As retailers continue to pivot towards online trading, and lockdown restrictions are limiting the number of staff on the ground, we are seeing a growth in automation. Retailers are innovating with chatbots, digital shopping assistants and self-service technologies that are all taking centre stage to empower customers and reduce physical contact.

Omnichannel-based retail strategy

 An omnichannel-based retail strategy is becoming central to delivering a cross-channel organisational approach to marketing, sales and customer service that creates an integrated and cohesive customer experience. This experience must be delivered – no matter how, when or where a customer reaches out to a brand.
Adopting an omnichannel strategy allows businesses to be available on every channel, underpinned by an engagement hub that provides for the easy addition of digital channels as needed.
At the same time, many organisations struggle to create a comprehensive strategy in order to generate and promote a meaningful personalisation that will result in a lasting relationship. Many retailers face challenges in relation to skills and costs yet have no choice but to respond to customer expectations or risk losing them.
These organisations need to look for partners in the digital transformation space that can offer an all-in-one solution, simplify deployment and reduce operating costs, while delivering a simple, secure and personalised engagement solution.
It is important that organisations realise that simply investing in CX technology does not guarantee success. A proper engagement and implementation strategy will ensure early and sustainable return on investment and the successful rollout of transformation initiatives. Digital transformation is a continuous process, and the right technology partner is central to getting it right. 

All rights reserved. © 2021. Bizcommunity.com Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).

This article was written by Jeremy Osborne from Bizcommunity.com and was legally licensed through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com. 

Want a more effective omnichannel retail shopping experience? Consider how Shopkick has helped its partners. If you’re ready to meet customer expectations, contact us to learn just how we can help you expand your reach and establish customer loyalty. 

Plants that Will Survive in the Fall and Winter

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Sure, the summer season is over, but that doesn’t mean your gardening days have to end! Many charming flowers and plants will blossom in the chillier months, allowing you to keep up with your hobby. Or, if you’re new to winter gardening, this is an excellent place to start! Here’s a list of relatively easy plants to care for in the winter.

1.  Coneflower

If cared for properly, coneflowers will bloom in the winter months after going dormant in the fall. They bloom in a wide variety of colors. You could choose to plant all monochromatic flowers or opt for a  mosaic display in your garden of various colors.

2. Catmint

This vibrantly pink mint plant thrives in the dark and dry winter months. However, Catmint needs sunlight and water for about a year before it can thrive. Be sure to place it in a sunny spot, and it should do perfectly fine on its own during the cold months.

3. Winterberry

This winter staple encapsulates the entire essence of the season! Its deep, dark red berries begin to sprout up after the plant’s leaves fall in autumn. It literally changes with the season… leaving you to observe the beauty!

4. Winter Pansies

These winter flowers are entertaining to watch because they grow slowly and become more beautiful over time. These plants need fertilizer in the cold and then they’ll last you 5-7 months! They have a slow blooming process that ends with a complete and colorful pansy. They can survive in the freezing weather – making them list-worthy.

5. Lily-of-the-Valley

This plant loves wintertime. It originated in the cool Northern Hemisphere, ranging from Asia to Europe. Lily-of-the-Valley is a delicate and pretty winter garden staple! This plant thrives best when kept in partial sun to full shade, so you don’t have to worry about brightness at all. 

Were you thinking about starting a winter garden? It can be so gratifying and a fun way to embrace wintertime. Just be sure to provide the correct care, which shouldn’t take too much effort. Most winter plants are excellent for the long run, so that means you will be investing in something beautiful. Happy gardening! 

Five Shopping Hacks Everyone Should Know

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Saving money doesn’t have to be a challenge. Couponing and dodging expensive price tags may sound like an Olympic sport when in reality, it’s just a simple game of staying up to date. Studying the best times to buy something and following little tips and tricks can go a long way. We’ve compiled the best ways to save money, especially as the fall, winter, and gift-giving seasons creep upon us.

1. Shopkick

Hey, we’re Shopkick! Nice to meet you. Shopkick is a shopping rewards app that allows you to earn free gift cards by simply scanning items, receipts, or walking into places you shop. What better way to shop for friends and family during the holiday season than with free gift cards? Also, just because you’re here, we’ll let you in on a little secret–if you download the app now and use code KICKIT, you’ll get your first $5 gift card for free!

2. Shop early for the things you know you’ll need later

Say you need a dress for a wedding, and the event is in October, one of the busiest times of year for weddings. Not only will the prices have gone up, but you may also be out of luck in finding one you can comfortably afford. Avoid this scenario by shopping in advance!

3. Know your discounts

You’d be surprised to know how many discounts are out there. Keep your eyes peeled for college, senior, teacher, fitness instructor, or other discount programs that may apply to you!

4. Take advantage of a reward program

Most stores have their own reward systems and we always recommend looking into them! It’s as simple as giving a number or email to collect – go ahead and give it a try. It doesn’t take as long as you would think to start earning rewards for your subsequent purchases.

5. Keep your coupons in one place

This seems impossible, we know, but good organization is key. Whether it’s in an app for mobile coupons or a physical folder you keep on hand for printed deals, having an organization system will help you stay on track. Imagine how much money you could have saved if you hadn’t lost all those coupons!

The above are just a few essential pointers on how to save. And by using Shopkick along with these tips and tricks, we promise that extra cash will find its way into your pocket. The world is your oyster. Or, should we say, the world is your shopping mall?

Lavender Lemonade For Headaches

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Headaches are inevitable. A constantly on-the-go lifestyle and strenuous activity can ultimately lead to these pesky pains, not to mention that most of us are sleep-deprived. Tried Tylenol? Your pain relief may have been short-lived.

Meet a surprising ancient healing mechanism: lavender. Lavender is an influential aromatherapy scent, scientifically proven to aid in depression and anxiety. So, who says sipping on a refreshing lemonade with this power plant in it can’t help your mind-bending migraine? Lavender is perfect for relieving dehydration and stress – two significant factors of headaches. This recipe is simple to make, and you can purchase all the ingredients at your local grocery store. Let’s jump into it.

Ingredients:

  1. Water
  2. Turbinado sugar
  3. Mint leaves
  4. Dried culinary lavender flowers
  5. Honey
  6. Lemon

Recipe:

Step 1: Add two cups of water to a small pot set to medium heat.

Step 2: Add ⅛ a cup of turbinado sugar and let it dissolve. Water should begin to boil.

Step 3. Add two mint leaves, ⅔ teaspoons of dried culinary lavender flower, and two teaspoons of honey to the water.

Step 4: Let ingredients steep at a simmer for about 15 minutes.

Step 5: Juice two lemons and strain the juice from the seeds and pulp.  Then, add the lemon juice to two cups of water.

Step 6: Strain the lavender mixture from the pot into the water with the lemon juice.

Step 7: Add as much ice as you want, and garnish with lemons and mint.

Step 8: Enjoy!

The Majority of Consumers Plan to Shop Early This Year: Report

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Dive Brief: 

  • Consumers are eager to spend and save money through deals, according to ICSC. In its Annual Holiday Shopping Intentions survey, the firm predicts that holiday sales between November and December will increase by 8.9% to $923 billion compared to last year. Per the survey of 1,005 people, 78% of respondents said they plan to spend the same or more money this year than last year, and 75% said they plan to shop earlier this year. 
  • As for reasons why they’re shopping earlier, 45% said they want to make sure their desired items are available, followed by those who wanted to access early holiday deals (42%) and get their purchases on time (42%), according to the survey. Holiday shoppers are planning to spend an average of $637 on gifts and other holiday-related items.  
  • Most respondents (85%) said they would shop in brick-and-mortar stores this year, but the report predicts that omnichannel options will drive a 13% increase in e-commerce sales. More than a third (37%) respondents said they want to see products in-store, followed by 34% of people who said they want to grab their goods immediately and 30% seek inspiration for gifts, per the survey. 

Dive Insights:

Though reports predict that consumers plan to spend more during the 2021 holiday season than last year, they’re still interested in finding deals. According to the ICSC survey, 80% of shoppers said deals factor into their holiday purchases, and more than a third (38%) of respondents will plan their shopping trips around specific promotional events. 

Other research noted similar findings indicating that shoppers want to stretch their money while spending more this year. Another recent survey from JLL showed that 34.4% of shoppers said saving is their primary goal. Plus, data from Klarna and Deloitte also predict an uptick in consumer spending this year. 

In preparation for a rise in sales, retailers like Amazon and Target have launched holiday deals early. 

“Strong retail spending has driven a significant economic recovery this year despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and consumers continue to return to pre-pandemic behaviors in the face of uncertainty,” Tom McGee, president and CEO of ICSC, said in a statement. “Consumers have remained resilient throughout 2021, which I am confident will continue during and after the holiday shopping season.”

This article was written by Tatiana Walk-Morris from Retail Dive and was legally licensed through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com. 

Top 5 Working From Home Essentials

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One thing I think many of us can agree on is that working from home can be amazing. There is no commute time to worry about, what outfit you’re going to wear, packing a lunch, etc. Some might even feel more productive in their home setting rather than in an office. However, that doesn’t mean working from home is easy. It’s something that requires a bit of adjusting, and we’re here to help. Here are our top 5 working from home essentials:

1. A designated office area

Now, this may seem like a no-brainer. However,  you’d be surprised how many people work from their bedrooms. For me, this immediately was not an option. I knew that working 8 hours a day in the same  room I use to unwind, relax, and sleep  would affect my mood and work productivity. Creating a designated workspace outside of your bedroom is so important. Even if it’s just in your living room, your kitchen, or an awkward nook that you’re not quite sure what to do with (That’s where my office is, in case you were wondering) – try turning it into your productive space.

2. A happy light

Working from home can be great, but often we forget to get outside during the day. Or when you do leave the house, it’s at an inconvenient hour — you might go workout in the morning before the sun is fully risen or grab drinks with friends after sunset. Here’s where a happy light comes into play. Here are a few reasons to invest in one: 1) it brings natural light indoors, 2) energizes you, and 3) helps make healthy habits (learn more here.) We recommend one of these two Happy Lights: this option from Amazon, or get kicks for your purchase and get one from QVC! 

3. A daily planner

We begin our workday by scheduling out our daily activities. We write out our entire schedule and include any meetings we may have. Then we write out our to-do list and today’s top three priorities. Planning helps us feel like we have a goal each workday and helps us organize different projects and home-life priorities. We recommend this daily planner from Amazon that is only $10! 

4. Coffee

This one…is probably the most important essential. If we aim to get through the workday without any caffeine, we are a zombie by 2 PM. Which is not great for anyone who has a meeting with us past 2 PM (apologies to our coworkers in advance). Whether you are making coffee at home, going on a daily walk to grab that special pick-me-up, or getting it delivered, it is essential. Plus, you don’t need to drink coffee to stay energized if you don’t like it. You could try substituting it for tea (we recommend matcha) or other healthy energy drinks like Kombucha. Either way, drink up!

5. A hobby outside of work

Working from home means it is easier to take short breaks to enjoy something not related to your everyday work projects. Just don’t neglect those work projects as well. For us, we like to read.  If there are days when we know the majority of our workday will be staring at a screen or in meetings, we value scheduling 15-minute breaks every few hours to read part of a current book. For you, maybe it’s drawing, light sketching, or listening to a podcast episode. But it is so important to stimulate your mind in other ways and switch up your location or activity to avoid end-of-day burnout.

Those are just a few essentials for your workday. These don’t necessarily have to be designated for working from home either and can be easily incorporated into working in an office life. I hope you found some of these tips useful and have a great week at work. 

Healthy Fall Baked Goods

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We know the struggle – fall season comes around and suddenly all you crave are pumpkin spice, vanilla, chocolate, or cinnamon treats bound to bring uncomfortable bloat and unwanted inches on your waistline. We have got you covered. Below, we’ve compiled a list of fall baked goods that have a healthy twist. Read on for more sweet and guilt-free details!

1. Healthy Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

These cinnamon rolls from Amy’s Healthy Baking are sweet and fluffy, plus are free from eggs and refined ingredients! No added flour lower’s their carb count.

2. Pumpkin Energy Balls 

Now that it’s fall, it’s completely socially acceptable to swap your traditional ingredients and for pumpkin puree. This simple recipe from Salt & Baker is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth while maintaining a healthy balance!

3. Chai Breakfast Cookies 

These cookies from Mile High Mitts are a decadent treat that you can enjoy not only in the morning but all day! They are vegan and dairy-free but still have an excellent taste due to the fall-flavored spices. Pair these with a cup of hot coffee on a cool morning, and you’re good to go!

4. Healthy Apple Cake

Yes, it’s possible to make a cake that is both healthy and tasty. The secret to this Fit Foodies Finds recipe is wait for it… apple sauce! Trust us, it’s as delicious as it is healthy.

5. Pumpkin Oat Bread 

Try making your very own bread out of unique ingredients! This combination of oatmeal, applesauce, and pumpkin will satisfy your fall sweet tooth. The recipe is from The Busy Baker.

Every once in a while, we’ve got to splurge- but if you’re anything like us, you need sweets multiple times a week to function. This is why we did a deep dive to find these delicious recipes – they are fun to make, healthy, and taste as good as the real thing! 

3 ways COVID-19 has changed the customer experience forever

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When it comes to the customer experience and the desire of brands to strengthen their ties to consumers, the past year turned all the rules upside down. 

During the pandemic, even the best-prepared companies were caught off-guard in their ability to be agile and responsive. Issues of simple product fulfillment rose to crisis levels as manufacturing stalled and supplies dwindled. Even so, loyalty programs flourished (with one retailer enjoying a 40% lift in cart size among its program members). There also was a renaissance in creativity around brand messaging with the ascent of new digital and social media platforms. 

At the same time, historic social movements dominated the public’s attention and became a fundamental element of how brands speak to and connect with consumers. 

The result: a next-gen customer experience that seamlessly connects the physical and digital worlds across the customer journey. This, in turn, bolsters brands’ ability to maximize revenue while building lifelong relationships with consumers by communicating what they really care about and in a voice that resonates. 

Here are three key takeaways illustrating how brands successfully navigated the singular challenges of the pandemic and how marketers can apply those strategies to future campaigns.

Customer connections transformed. 

The pandemic brought about unprecedented challenges for brands and also ushered in once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to innovate through customer connections. Consider a particular seed manufacturer that had always counted on face-to-face interactions but that, because of COVID-19 restrictions, had no choice but to engage with its customers via digital platforms and vice versa. 

Marketers who for so long have fixated on Gen Z and digital natives found they had to speak to a much broader base of customers who had become, out of necessity, more technologically savvy. Necessity is the mother of invention, and we now have more than a year of this customer-experience laboratory under our belts. 

But the pandemic has not just been a lab. It’s been a wake-up call. 

For example, at the onset of the global health crisis, one large retailer took the position that it would not do commerce via mobile, opting to employ the medium for engagement only. Then the whole world shut down, everybody shifted to digital transactions, and the retailer found itself without a mechanism for carrying through the customer relationship to the point of purchase. Talk about a missed opportunity. 

Pre-pandemic, around 30% of people shopped online for groceries (and even at that level, there were cracks starting in the supply chain: grocery stores that failed to track changing customer purchase patterns led to shortages or even mass food spoilage). During the pandemic, 80% shopped online. As the pandemic subsides, we anticipate the numbers will settle out a “new normal” above what we saw pre-pandemic. 

What was a temporary stress on the customer experience is now truly the new normal. This 50/50 split also highlights the need for companies to be more diligently focused on the intersection between “offline/in-store” experiences and digital ones. 

Test-then test some more. 

One advantage of the shifting rules of commerce has been that brands can be freer about experimentation, considering many possible customer experiences and then using data and analytics to inform their decisions. Testing approaches and using data science to help ensure a clear understanding of customers and what they truly care about is the very foundation of innovation and authentic customer experiences. 

The importance of testing cannot be overemphasized. Yes, innovation is about being bold and taking risks, but it’s also about being accountable and measurable. Testing and measurement offer a framework for what success looks like and, as such, are critical components, whether in developing products and services, designing a marketing strategy or perfecting the customer experience. 

The truth is, some brands throw millions of dollars at this thing called “innovation” but have no real measurement strategy for understanding the overall efficacy of their ideas. Leading companies often tackle this challenge by measuring or implementing NPI, a new product introduction. 

Having a solid measurement framework and not being afraid to experiment constantly with innovations are essential elements of success as we emerge from the pandemic and reimagine the everyday way of doing business. 

Chatter is not noise. It’s your road map. 

Another key tool is social listening before, during and after a campaign. This has become an indispensable tool to inform everything from overall brand strategy to the social movements that resonate with customers. 

Take the social issues that have come to define our times. They are at the forefront of everything, whether in the nuclear household or a multinational corporation. Our research has found that consumers will spend more money with a brand that has social good as part of its charter than they will with brands that stay on the social sidelines. 

Being socially conscious is not just altruistic for brands today; it is key to business success, with many of today’s leading marketers having entire departments focused on brand purpose. 

There are those brands that may think aligning with cultural movements is risky. As the data bears out, however, the reality is that it’s a cornerstone of building consumer affinity and enhancing the customer experience. 

Social listening enables marketers to get down to the granular level of what customers care about, leverage innovations and take brands where they need to go. That’s true whether in creating a singular marketing campaign, redesigning the in-store shopping experience or building partnerships with other companies that have a stake in the customer relationship. 

On that point, there is another enormous opportunity to maximize the customer experience by thinking beyond just your own brand. Every company must ask itself how to build relationships with complementary partners—and sharing valuable customer data among those players—can enhance its consumer relationships. 

For example, if you’re a retailer, you may want to take a sharper look at your relationships with wholesalers—which are equally as responsible for the customer experience, after all—to help ensure they are providing as high a level of customer value as you are. 

During the transition, there’s been a change in focus from the front office to the back office. The companies that performed best are the ones that understood that shift. Brands have had to get smarter about areas like data and analytics that traditionally fell to agency partners and choose the right partners with the experience and expertise to bridge your business’ front- and back-office functions. 

From taking a stand on social movements to developing the products and services consumers desire and delivering the highest-quality customer experiences, brand marketers must work continuously to understand their customers and what they are demanding after a very trying year. Considering the velocity with which technology, brand-consumer interactions and social changes are happening, they surely cannot afford to rest. 

Views expressed in this presentation are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Ernst & Young LLP or other members of the global EY organization.

This article was written by Josiah Johnson from Ad Age and was legally licensed through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.

Shopkick is an omnichannel solution that allows brands and retailers to engage and influence shoppers throughout the entire path to purchase, in-store and online. We share key intel on ever-changing consumer shopping behaviors and trends, and provide our partners with real-time shopping data, helping them fill gaps in the customer shopping journey. To learn more about how Shopkick can help you drive awareness, incremental sales, and customer loyalty throughout the full-funnel shopping journey, contact our team. 

Over 70% of Retail Sales Will Come From Stores in the Next Few Years: Forrester

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Dive Brief:

  •  While the pandemic is widely seen as boosting e-commerce sales, it may be more accurate to say that consumers have become more “digitally savvy,” according to a new report from Forrester.  
  •  Forrester found that more than half of U.S. e-commerce shoppers “enjoy trying new brands,” for example. And 63% say they spend time comparing products before they buy.   
  •  Still, stores remain the biggest pull for shoppers, and Forrester estimates that 72% of retail sales in the U.S. will take place there into 2024. The top reasons for shopping in store, Forrester found, are to test products (47%) and being able to walk away with an item after purchasing (38%).  

Dive Insights:

Free and available vaccines in the U.S. have tamped down the worst consequences of the pandemic in many areas, but there remains an asterisk next to these improvements, as variants of the virus, including the delta strain, have introduced new levels of uncertainty. 

That includes retail and traffic to stores and malls. Still, these days more stores are opening than closing, and the pace of footfall is up. In July, shopping mall traffic exceeded pre-pandemic levels (up 1% compared to July 2019 at indoor malls and up 1.8% at outdoor malls), according to a recent report from Placer.ai. 

Those visits have fallen again since then. In August traffic compared to two years ago fell 2.5% at indoor malls and 4.7% at outdoor malls, which Placer attributed to rising COVID cases, the timing of Labor Day and the return to school. The firm blamed the pandemic’s surges for further declines in September — 6.5% at indoor malls and 5.2% at outdoor malls — compared to 2019. 

While October isn’t looking much better, the approaching holidays could send more people back to physical locations, however, especially if COVID cases once again begin to slide, the firm said. 

Stores have turned out to be an important source for marketing and customer acquisition, as many pure-play e-commerce companies have found. But according to Forrester, retailers also must ensure that their stores are worth the effort. 

“The goal of these stores should be to deliver experiences and support operations that remove customer pains that impact behavior and provide diverse capabilities for catering to different consumer preferences,” Forrester said by email.  

Consumers have come to expect more fulfillment options when shopping online, with 45% of Forrester’s respondents saying they prefer many options. Thirty-eight percent of consumers said they’re using BOPIS services more than they used to, while 32% of respondents said they plan to continue using curbside pickup after the pandemic is over, the report found. Nearly a third of consumers who used curbside pickup services did so to save time finding the products in store on their own. 

And when it comes to returns, a physical presence may be an asset to retailers, the report found. Forty-one percent of consumers said online returns are difficult and over a third of consumers said this has discouraged them from purchasing online in the first place. Over half of respondents said they prefer in-store returns.

This article was written by Caroline Jansen and Daphne Howland from Retail Dive and was legally licensed through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com. 

Shopkick is an omnichannel marketing solution that can help you seamlessly bridge the gap between digital and physical shopping channels. Read more success stories and contact Shopkick to learn how to become one of our partners.

Supply Chain Disruptions: Holiday Shoppers Already Experiencing Product Shortages and Delays

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Rising shipping costs impacting consumers’ holiday shopping decisions

Holiday shopping is in full swing, and many Americans (40 percent) have already started checking gifts off their lists. But according to recent data by Shopkick, a leading shopping rewards app, rising COVID-19 cases and the Delta variant are proving to have an impact on consumers’ holiday shopping behavior. Nearly a third (30 percent) of shoppers are already experiencing limited product availability in-store and online, as well as higher shipping costs (58 percent), forcing the majority of consumers (68 percent) to reconsider how they will shop this holiday season.  

Shopkick surveyed over 37,000 American consumers between September 22 – 26, 2021 to gain insight on the impact that COVID-19 and the Delta variant will have on consumers this holiday season and when, where, and how they will be making their holiday purchases. 

Key insights include:

  • The Early Birds: Although the fall season just kicked off, many consumers (40 percent) have already started their holiday shopping, and a third (33 percent) are shopping earlier this year. Of those reporting they are shopping earlier, the majority (58 percent) are doing so because of concerns around product inventory, to stay organized ahead of the holidays (58 percent), and to avoid holiday crowds (53 percent).
  • COVID-19 Fallout: Surprisingly, 30 percent of those early birds are already experiencing holiday product availability issues and 23 percent are experiencing shipping delays. On top of supply chain disruption, the majority of consumers (51 percent) are adjusting their budgets due to the threat of continued inflation. 
  • The Motivations for Online: Whether shopping online or in-store, consumers’ main motivation this holiday season is scoring the best prices and deals. Online shoppers are also motivated by the convenience of shipping and ease of returns (59 percent), saving time and avoiding checkout lines (52 percent), and product availability (50 percent). It is no surprise that expected delays and high shipping costs could force 80 percent of online shoppers to reconsider how and where they buy their holiday goodies this year.
  • The Motivations for In-Store: Product availability is a top motivator for consumers shopping in-store for the holidays (44 percent), followed by immediate satisfaction of taking products home the same day (43 percent), ease of in-store price comparison (34 percent), getting inspiration from browsing aisles (33 percent), product assortment (24 percent), and in-person help from store associates (12 percent). 
  • Seasonal Safety: Rising COVID-19 cases have resulted in 40 percent of consumers planning to make fewer in-store shopping trips, a nearly 10 percent increase compared to July 2021. To ensure safety, shoppers are expecting retailers to make employees wear protective face coverings (56 percent), offer disinfectants (52 percent), require shoppers to wear face coverings (51 percent), enforce social distancing measures (48 percent) and install plexiglass barriers at check out (42 percent). 

“In many ways, supply chain shortages and shipping delays are putting in-store retailers at an advantage this holiday season,” said Dave Fisch, general manager of Shopkick. “Shoppers are headed in-store no matter what this holiday season, which means it is essential that retailers are prepared, offer a pleasant in-store experience with trained and available staff, and mandate COVID-19 safety precautions to ease shoppers discomfort and meet their expectations.” 

Daily Health Hacks

Posted on by shopkick

If you open up any media platform, you’ll likely be told that intermittent fasting, a workout regimen, massive caloric deficits, or a complete home gym will lead you to a healthier lifestyle. We’re excited to tell you that your self-care journey does not need to be so consuming (or expensive!) Small changes can have much larger benefits, overtime. Here are some simple steps to incorporate into your daily routine that will lead you to a happier and healthier version of yourself.

HYDRATE

Many of us are used to starting our days with coffee; however, it is time for a change. Drink water first! Then you can make your way to the coffee pot. We’re all aiming to drink more water, so find ways to make it more fun by buying yourself a cute water bottle or tumbler. If you’re someone who wants to drink more water, but simply forgets, we encourage you to download an app like Hydrocoach that will send you reminders to drink up.

BE A MORNING PERSON… SOMETIMES

The early bird gets the worm! Having a morning routine is amazing. If you can, go on a walk or drink your coffee outside (after your water, of course)! Not only is exercising in the morning good for your metabolism, it will also give you a few moments of peace to start your day.

DOODLE

Take a moment to pour your imagination into a sketch. No pressure, just draw! Drawing can be very calming. In fact, many studies show that art as a therapy form helps with  depression and anxiety. If you aren’t particularly creative, go buy yourself a coloring book so you don’t miss out on the fun. Coloring isn’t just for kids, we promise!

STRETCH

Stretching is very underrated, especially since so many of us struggle to squeeze in ways to be active throughout the day. Set some stretching reminders to reset your wrists and neck throughout your work day. Plus, stretching before bed may even help you get better sleep. Give it a try!

EAT A HEALTHY MEAL

Eating healthier while saving money? We promise this isn’t too good to be true. Eating healthy is a great way to boost your wellbeing, and it can be so easy with modern meal-kit providers like HelloFresh that will plan your meals for you and send you the perfect amount of ingredients!

SIT ON YOUR FLOOR

Next time you take a break to watch your favorite show, sit on the floor. It will realign your body after being bent over your screen all day. Kneel, squat, or sit with your legs stretched out.

UNPLUG

Time goes by crazy fast when you’re scrolling through Facebook and Instagram. It’s important to be able to step away from scrolling when you need to. Put your phone down and pick up a book, play a game, or just sit outside and nature watch!

TREAT YOURSELF

Don’t forget to prioritize YOU. Buy the skirt you’ve been eyeing for the past month, eat the cupcake, try the yoga class, take some time to rest – you deserve it! 

Sometimes, it can be difficult to separate what you think you need from what you actually need. When it comes to mental and physical health, there are so many suggestions for how you should be spending your time and money. Wellness means something different for everyone. Just do your thing! And take care of yourself, please.