Achieving Channel Nirvana

Those who know me, know I’m a bit of a shopaolic… even window shopping brightens my mood. As a card-carrying addict, I’ve run into a few situations where I’ve needed to return things; this past December I was looking for a New Year’s Eve outfit and ended up buying something online from a multi-channel company. Unfortunately, it looked nothing like what was portrayed online so I went to the store hoping to swap it out that day. Unfortunately I was turned away, saying that the top belonged to the website and couldn’t be exchanged in the store.

All companies have the challenge of connecting with consumers; turning someone away (as in this example) does more to hurt the relationship you’re attempting to build. The consumer, whether they are window shopping or purchasing doesn't care about the channel that they bought from – if the labels are the same, why does the channel matter?

Today’s consumer has seven possible channels – store/ branch, internet, call center, print/ catalog, kiosks/ ATMs and email which may include mobile devices – if not in tandem, these channels can leveraged by the consumer to secure the best deal. Allow your channels work in harmony, focus on the customer and close your loopholes – achieving Channel Nirvana isn’t an easy task, but it can be attained by thinking as a customer:
1) How would you like to be identified?
2) What information are you willing to offer, what do you expect in return?
3) What information do you need to be kept in the loop?

Focus on the customer, focus on the basics and your path to enlightenment will follow.