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Multi-channel retail a distant dream for retailers?
A recent online retailing straw-poll from Zendor (covered by Marcia McLeaod in Retail Week) reports that retailers may operate more than one channel, but run them as silos: no integration, little cross-fertilisation etc. The sample is taken from 100 of the biggest high-street retailers who are known to be slow off the mark.
Screen Pages' experience is that niche retailers are very committed to integrating their channels: it is companies like White Compay, Fat Face, Charles Tyrwhitt and White Stuff they who earn the laurels for multi-channel retailing (as well as most of the better organised mail order companies!).
Frightening stats reported include:
* Nearly half the retailers from the 104 surveyed offer both a mail order catalogue service and an online store, however, only one third (31%) of these offer the facility to actually order a catalogue online.
* Less than half of the retailers surveyed by Zendor that offer both a mail order and online services offer a simple ‘Quick Order’ (using catalogue codes to find or purchase products) service for customers who browse through the catalogue and then visit the website to order.
* Only a third (32%) have a phone number for orders and/or enquiries clearly visible on the main menu so customers can easily find it when visiting or browsing the site. *
* Nearly one third of sites (29%) do not label information links clearly.
* 10% of sites just offer an email address or postal option for contact, with no phone number given.
Who are all these businesses and who on earth is managing them?
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