That’s how Le Quan Truong, Internet Marketing Director at Sears.ca begins her conference today at La Journée Infopresse commerce électronique 2008.
Few words to begin and explain why, as some marketers, you should leveraging your e-commerce website : « to inspire, to delight, to discover, to motivate, to help make dreams come true, to make people smile to bring your customers the best Online Experience. »
The brand is the most valuable asset. Here there are three questions Lee Quan answered to make sure to bring the best to the customers:
- « How to adapt your own website to your target consumer profile and buying habits?
- What are the best on-line practices applied by transactional websites?
- How can you leverage your distribution network to increase sales? »
Le Quan gave us some keys to answer those questions.
First, you have to understand your customer and how he wants to do some business. The customer doesn’t care from which department is the product, or which department takes care of it. He only wants some solutions to his problem. Le Quan names it the « corporate underpants »:the consumer doesn’t want to know about it!
She insisted on the fact that the « only box we have is the one we create. » As a marketer, you have to drive relevance through contextual placements. The home page is not « the be all end all ».
She explained to us that when Sears.ca really began on the Internet in 1997, their page was soooo long that you have to scroll down and down and down. Now, they’ve changed it of course, they did what the consumers wanted, like free shipping for example, or their departments were working in silos. They’ve changed their hierarchy to make it work more efficiently.
Market on category landing pages, cross-country promotion opportunities (kids landing page marketed with outdoor playgrounds), relevant services (KidVantage program), free shipping messages, easy returns are all examples of how Sears.ca listened their customers to make them smile.
The next key was to understand the customer behavior across channels. Their two ways to understand it at Sears.ca are :
- Through loyalty program
- Through the customer database : all the different programs and channels are all put together and they take a look at a different matrice. Distribute catalogues, emails people, they do some connections (make-up and clothes for example)
Build confidence and trust in their shopping experience. Le Quan considers that nothing is more important than that. The core experience is the most important. Bricks reflect on clics. That’s critical.
Examples : the room planner, My virtual model (dresses and swim), related – suggested items, those who viewed also viewed (Amazon style), customer reviews, the Page you made.
The last but not the least key : maximize cross channel synergies and reach the multi-wallet customer. Actually, Le Quan told us they still fought on it. The purpose is to built-up the band, get a win-win situation and build confidence with the customer. To do this, she gaves us few examples :
- Ship to store : to home or to pick it up in the stores and return to the stores. Pick up the local catalogue at the desk, free shipping, ship a gift
- In store kiosks : it’s the brand ; sears to sears, whatever channel it comes from, it’s always Sears.
- All-channel event marketing : making your face to the world coherent. A Sears Days event : every signage, every support has the same message, one voice on multiple channels.
- Email marketing : encourage cross channel synergy. It’s not just about the retail store but everything you can get at Sears. It means bringing up to the front everything Sears can offer.
Le Quan finishes on the 4 keys to takeaway :
- Understand your customer and how they want to do business
- Understand your customer behaviour across channels
- Build confidence and trust in her shopping experience
- Maximize cross channel synergies
By the way, Sears.ca won the Marketing Sherpa email awards 2008 winner.
You’ve got the power…
Take it!
