Omnichannel

Online activity will influence in-store shopping this holiday season, as social networks and mobile applications are playing a more prominent role in the shopping process. As such, retailers should seek to deliver tightly-integrated and consistent merchandise, inventory and promotional messages to customers moving between Web-based and physical storefronts, a Deloitte study suggests.

Dear Dr. pROfIt: My CEO thinks we’re failing with our multichannel initiatives. We recently ran a report that showed that 15 percent of

American Apparel ran a location-based mobile promotion offering customers a 20 percent discount on products in-store to drive foot traffic to its New York locations.

With the holidays right around the corner, it is no surprise that Bloomingdale’s is promoting its beefed up mobile presence via traditional marketing channels. The department store giant is advertising its mobile commerce site in its fall print catalog.

Among uneven retail numbers this year exists a bright spot that has been growing for years, and is leading companies to overhaul their traditional business models: the online retail market.

It's been an eventful couple of years for cross-channel specialty coffee retailer Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR). From acquisitions (three in the last 18 months) to the launch of a B-to-B wholesale website, GMCR has been busy growing its 29-year-old brand.

Apparel retailer American Eagle Outfitters is taking advantage of various channels within the mobile medium to enhance its multichannel consumer engagement efforts, ultimately leading to increased sales.

Best Buy is introducing a location-based retail experiment that examines the way in-store shoppers redeem offers and rewards via their mobile device. Consumers who walk in a Best Buy store will receive offers via the shopkick iPhone application. The experiment will take place in 257 United States stores.

Sunglass Hut's Social Sun, an interactive device that lets consumers try on sunglasses, digitally capture and compare their looks and share images with family and friends, is driving sales.

Walgreen's, Canadian Tire, J.C. Penney, Save-A-Lot, Sports Authority, Staples and True Value are among the brands incorporating the web version of their weekly newspaper circulars into their Facebook pages.