How will retailers develop their online strategy in 2014?
How will retailers develop their online strategy in 2014?
Kestrel Lemen, Marketing Strategist, Bronto Software
Brand engagement will be a huge priority for retailers in 2014 and eCommerce sites will strive to differentiate themselves in order to stand out from the crowd – so often, online retailers appear to have such similar offerings that consumers find it hard to offer loyalty in one place and instead, shop around for the best deal. Engagement is made possible through genuine content and a unique proposition - consistent brand messaging across channels will be a main focus for retailers so that the customer journey isn’t interrupted at any point.
Additionally, the use of video content will grow and become more and more important - although general web technologies have expanded over the years, the email inbox has been locked out for the most part, but that is starting to change. Marketers and their design teams continue to push the boundaries to create rich, dynamic inbox experiences for consumer subscribers. One email may be viewed on lots of different devices, and finding ways to provide a compelling visual experience in addition to your promotional message, will help retailers’ messages stand out in the evolving inbox.
Already we are seeing videos played through interactive displays in stores and this has started to filter into email, made possible through the introduction of super fast internet connections and more capabilities within the email inbox. This gives retailers more scope to hit customers with strong brand messaging. Video messaging through email is likely to be made more popular and expand as the ability to render it properly across ISPs improves. However with the increase of smart TVs, one could see how this content could eventually make its way to the living room.