In our last post, Seeking certainty in uncertain times Part 1 – The challenges, we discussed the cocktail of uncertainties and challenges multi-channel retailers face. But by focusing on these five areas, they can introduce an element of certainty into their businesses.
- Tap into what your customers are saying: Your customers are constantly ‘talking’ to you, whether it’s through what they buy, how they buy it, how they reach your website and interact with it, or via reviews, customer service feedback, social interactions and even what they’re returning and why. Make sure you’re set up to listen and react to your changing customer signals.But don’t just wait for them. Encourage dialogue through focus groups, forums, net promoter scores and post-purchase surveys to help you understand how you should be changing. The mantra ‘listen, react, respond’ holds true, especially in today’s uncertain environment.
- Build agility into your operations: We can all be sure there’ll be more uncertainty, so build in the agility and flexibility needed to tackle change, rather than trying to embed certainty into your inputs. Look at how to accelerate those marketing tactics that work and how to create more supply chain agility. Work out how can you pull back activity when the economic environment is more difficult. Understand how agile your tech development is as well as your product offering. Can you move quickly from one offering to another based on changes in customer demand? Identify how you can reimagine and realign your business – then do it.
- Be your brand: Certainty comes from understanding and living your customers’ experiences; this must be all-encompassing. It includes all your business communications – from your advertising, emails website, catalogues and social posts to job adverts, and dispatch notes. It’s also your packaging, product quality and value, delivery speed and service, as well as how you deal with returns and refunds. Immerse yourself in your customer’s brand experience, and you’ll find out what needs changing.
- Put measurement at the heart of what you do: Measurement is critical, and the customer must be at the heart of your measurement. Understand where you excel and do more of it. Understand where you’re challenged and find opportunities to address them. If you’re not doing this, you’ll always be missing out.
- Focus: Never lose sight of what’s important. Avoid a scattergun approach by concentrating on what needs to change in your business. Are you focusing on recruiting, or retaining or both? Are you looking for efficiency, or growth, or growth with efficiency? And which channels will this be achieved through and how will you measure it? Always consider the big picture to ensure everything you do supports it. Focus is key to delivering a better understanding of where your business is going and driving better results which all build the certainty you need.
If you’re seeking to bring certainty to your marketing during these uncertain times, get in touch with us at [email protected], and we’ll be happy to chat with you.
