It was my pleasure to introduce Todd Scott at the Aligned Conference. Todd is the Digital Retail Integration and Merchandising Manager at Electrolux Major Appliances. More than that, Todd is a true pioneer of modern marketing, someone who combines keen digital skills with the kind of warmth that lets him connect with retailers on a personal level. Below are some highlights from his talk about what it takes to encourage and utilize feedback from retail retailers:
Tell us about your partnership with your retailers
“We want to be easy to do business with. If there’s a pain point in working with us, we want to know about it so we can look for a smoother solution. We ask retailers what they need digitally in surveys, but also in one-on-one conversations, trying to understand their needs as they evolve. Because many of our retailers are smaller family businesses, they need all hands on deck. We try to offer them as much digital assistance as we can so they have the digital content they need, right when they need it.”
How do you provide assistance with your retailers in the digital space?
“Some of our retailers are just getting into digital. When we show them some of the things that we have available for them to digitally access, from syndicated product data to digital banners to social content, light bulbs start flicking on. When they begin to experience the benefits of digital marketing, like a customer walking in and asking about a feature or product they saw in the retailer’s Facebook feed, they spread the word and help raise that awareness among other retailers.”
How are you accessible to your retailers?
“We have a lot of retailers out there, and we can’t visit all of them every day. But it’s important that we reach as many of them as we can digitally every day. We are absolutely digitally available…for example, everybody in this room knows that at any given time, you have promotions going on featuring products for which your retailers need basic product information. That dealer needs to know how to talk about those products with consumers. But with so many new products coming out, that’s easier said that done. Today, that information is available quickly through our digital channels. Just to have that information digitally available at the dealer’s fingertips is huge.”
What are your tactics for getting feedback from retailers?
“We actively ask retailers for feedback on the content we provide. We set times to talk with them, send surveys for their feedback, and actually follow up. Our field marketing team will call retailers to say, `Hey, we sent you a survey that’s asking for feedback from you. I really want your feedback and want to hear what you have to say.’ It’s not just a ploy to get them to fill out the survey. We rely on their feedback and use what they share with us to improve. It’s not high tech, but it’s high touch.”
How do you communicate with your retailers on a regular basis?
“All of our teams are talking to our retailers. They will visit, sit down, and say, `Okay, how is it going?’ Just this week I had between five and seven emails from district managers saying, `I’m sitting here with a customer, and we have a question.’ When a question arises, they’re literally pulling out their phones or iPads to call or text right then. And when we get an answer for them right then, it says a lot. It tells the retailer, `Somebody is trying to help me . . . I am important to this company.’ Retailers need to know that we will get an answer for them. I can’t tell you how much prompt responses have impacted our relationship with retailers.”
How has Promoboxx helped you incorporate retailer feedback?
“Today, retailers have evolving opinions about where they should be spending their time and energy. We communicate to them our belief that digital is important in the appliance space. Promoboxx allows us to put a lot of digital content out there for our retailers. They can pick what they want to use. And that to me is one of the greatest strengths of the platform – to put solid, engaging content out there, but not make it all mandatory. It’s content we want them to be proud to share.”
About Todd Scott, Digital Retail Integration and Merchandising Manager, Electrolux Major Appliances
Todd Scott is a brand and retail marketing veteran, serving tours of duty with diverse verticals and channels, including The Toro Company, General Mills, Regis Corporation, Best Buy, and VF Corporation. He currently leads digital retail marketing for Electrolux Major Appliances North America in Charlotte, NC.
