Master the Multichannel Tango

Achieving consistency in brand, presentation, merchandise, marketing and offer across multiple channels is no small feat, and the merchants who achieve it are rewarded by the marketplace.

Circuit City provides a great example of channel integration. Every product page on circuitcity.com provides a field for a customer ZIP code. With the data, the site indicates which local Circuit City stores have that SKU in stock at that moment, and it offers maps and directions to those stores. Customers may buy the item online and have it shipped, or elect to buy it online and pick it up at the store. The Web site and stores share a real-time inventory system. If a customer has trouble with online ordering, he or she can make the same buy-now-pick-up-at-store purchase by phone.