There has never been a better time to be in e-commerce. Multiple factors have combined to bring us to the tipping point for e-commerce adoption, resulting in more opportunities than ever before for online and omnichannel merchants.
As the pandemic settled in, many were looking to escape urban environs and get back to the land. Letitia Webster, Tractor Supply’s SVP of ecommerce, omnichannel and MDM, and a keynote at Ecommerce Operations Summit (Aug. 17-18, Nashville) talks about how her team met this new demand and improved processes along the way.
Most anticipate that a return to normal will be gradual and cautious even after the virus has been subdued, and different consumer segments will have varying levels of optimism on those timelines. For advertisers, building seamless digital experiences, and positioning products to appeal to differing segments.
A study last fall by Omnicom showed a drop of those professing to be brand loyal, from 65% in March to 49% in November, with the pandemic, social issues and product pricing and availability as driving factors. Allan Levy, CEO of Alchemy Worx, joins our MCM CommerceChat podcast to talk about guarding against loyalty erosion in 2021.
While it’s easy for disruption to feel like an overused buzzword, this is the time that retail marketers need to embrace it. As we near the one-year anniversary of the first COVID-19 lockdowns, here are 3 tips to help brand marketers innovate in the months ahead, based on lessons learned from the past year.
As 2020 comes to a close, it’s time to reflect back on a wild and crazy year in retail, to paraphrase the Festrunk brothers from Saturday Night Live. COVID-19 came in like a wrecking ball in February and March, causing widespread shutdowns that hit retail especially hard, leading to hockey-stick growth in ecommerce.
As consumers have begun holiday shopping earlier than ever, merchants are expecting historical peak trends, and fraudsters will try to take advantage of this. To prepare for the uptick in BOPIS fraud this holiday season, consider enacting both short-term and long-term fraud mitigation strategies to protect yourself and your customers.
Dutch supermarket company Ahold Delhaize, owner of Giant and Stop & Shop, has acquired a majority stake in Bronx, NY-based delivery provider FreshDirect, giving it a leg up on ecommerce fulfillment as e-grocery is exploding amid the pandemic. Centerbridge Partners is also acquiring a 20% stake in FreshDirect.
The ability to delivery a high-quality omnichannel experience has never been more critical than during the post-pandemic era, but most brands aren’t prepared to meet consumer expectations, according to a report from NewStore. Not surprisingly, providing safety and convenience were atop the list of winning practices cited.
From suppliers to logistics providers to manufacturers and retailers, the extended supply chain is pursuing omnichannel connectivity in an effort to deliver innovative customer experiences, streamline operations, reduce costs and improve flexibility and resiliency. But packaged commercial OTS software and data silos won’t cut it.