Where do you start when creating a consistent omnichannel experience with independent retailers? That was the question posed to us recently by Laura Woodford, Sr. Trade Marketing Manager at Electrolux Major Appliances North America at the 2015 Aligned Conference.
In the modern retail environment, it’s no longer physical or digital. It’s physical with digital. The most effective retail marketing plans today view the consumer experience as an integrated whole, supplementing a brick-and-mortar store with key digital marketing support.
55% of consumers prefer to use both stores and online throughout the entire journey.1
Laura spoke to the audience about the unique challenge of delivering a unified omnichannel shopping experience from the brand down to the retailer across markets and channels. Here are some key takeaways:
Now more than ever, retailers must be equipped with the marketing tools and resources necessary to ensure a seamless shopping experience along a multitude of touchpoints. Electrolux has succeeded by delivering the right message at the right time at the right place.
“What we’re trying to do is educate our retailers.” – Laura Woodford
Laura specifically highlighted the importance of focusing energy and dollars on the retailer website, citing it as the most influential touchpoint along the consumer journey. With the help of their retailers, Electrolux works to ensure that no matter where the consumer finds themselves (social media channels, retailer sites, etc.), they will be interfacing with a consistent experience built upon a strong brand support system.
For the omnichannel experience to work at all, what’s on the independent retailer’s site and digital marketing channels needs to be true to what’s on the brand’s website. Electrolux guarantees this by providing their independent retailers with co-branded materials for distribution across markets and channels via Promoboxx.
Here’s how Electrolux’s retailers’ co-branded content looks on Facebook:
Example co-branded Facebook content
Here’s how Electrolux’s retailers’ co-branded content looks on Twitter:
Example co-branded Twitter content
Electrolux not only localizes this co-branded content, but also allows retailers to customize and then post it via Promoboxx. In doing so, there’s a higher retailer adoption rate, leading to the further promotion of brand-approved content on a local level.
Before consumers actually reach the physical store, they’ll find themselves online and, more specifically, on a mobile device. In order to catch consumers at these crucial touchpoints, brands must work with their independent retailers to utilize paid ad solutions on the local level.
People exposed to and engaged with an ad are 3.4x more likely to visit dealer location.2
As Laura said, it’s all about delivering the right message at the right time at the right place, which is why a majority of Electrolux’s current retail marketing focus is on localized paid ads on mobile and social media channels. In order to actually reach consumers, you have to promote yourself on the channels that they frequent. Local targeting furthers this by only reaching consumers who are actually near the stores, helping with the problem of wasted ad dollars.
88% of local advertising expected to be delivered on mobile devices by 2016.3
With localized paid ads, Electrolux is able to promote their co-branded national campaign content through their independent retailers at these crucial touchpoints, reaching untapped local audiences and further promoting both the brand and the retailers’ stores.
By equipping their independent retailers with valuable marketing tools and support, Electrolux has ensured consistency in brand messaging all the way down to the local level. Consumers who visit the brand website, receive geo-targeted local mobile ads on their phone or visit their local appliance retailer’s digital channels, etc., will all benefit from a consistent shopping experience.
Sound like a lot to tackle? With a scalable solution like Promoboxx, you can easily support your independent retailers with digital marketing and drive local message consistency.
1On Solid Ground: Brick-and-Mortar Is the Foundation of Omnichannel Retailing, A.T. Kearney, 2014
2Placecast, Electrolux case study, 2014
3Borrell, 2012
