Omnichannel

It’s that time of year again: the holiday rush. Well, at least all the planning that comes with the holidays. If you’re like most cross-channel retailers, the next five months are probably the busiest time of the year for you.

There are lots of reasons shoppers research purchases online and then buy at a brick-and-mortar store. What’s important for retailers to recognize, however, is that having an online presence is becoming more and more important to overall sales.

Victoria’s Secret is strengthening its mobile presence via targeted ads that let fashion-savvy shoppers buy and learn more about the company’s new products. The company is running the mobile ads within Pandora’s iPhone app to promote its new Heartbreaker push-up plunge bra.

According to Epsilon Targeting, B-to-B and B-to-C sales are on the rise as households and businesses break from the restrained spending of 2009. Epsilon Targeting's Annual Multichannel Trend Report, which is based on aggregated 2010 merchandise purchase data from the Abacus Cooperative database, indicates an increase in nearly all key metrics including transactions, sales per household or contact, average order size and transactions per household. Consumer sales and business offers are also showing growth in early Q1 2011 data.

Michaels announced it's rolling out a mobile-optimized site app as well as mobile coupons with the objective of driving in-store traffic. The retailer has zeroed in on mobile initiatives as a way to reach time-pressed customers. The company is using QR codes and SMS to engage with its customers, and is now targeting smartphone users with mobile discounts.

Retailers thrive on making personal connections with their customers. Their ability to create and leverage these connections directly impacts their ability to rise above the clamor of the marketplace and differentiate themselves from the competition.

CrossView recently held its second annual Cross-Channel Executive Summit, where key industry experts gathered to examine how customer centricity has evolved as the true value in cross-channel commerce. Discussions not only focused on aligning multiple channels, but how emerging technologies and innovation within current mobile and social tools can transform the customer experience.

Experian QAS, a provider of address verification software and services, announced the release of The Dilemma of Multichannel Contact Data Accuracy. The report examines current attitudes toward contact data quality and provides advice on how to collect data accurately through multiple channels.

Daily-deal site LevelUp has enabled its users to pay for their purchases via mobile app. After customer payment information is entered into their LevelUp account, a customer-specific QR code is generated and that code can be displayed to pay for a LevelUp deal at any participating vendor, according to the company's blog.

As Facebook defines the future of consumerism in America, chief marketing officers are scrambling to find unique ways to leverage the social network to drive sales. It's important to hook a customer, but to keep them engaged is another story — one that ultimately depends on how much business you can create on the most popular networking site in the world.