Consumers seldom rely on a single channel during the sales process. They obtain information from the Internet and advice from a store and make a purchase decision online, having checked out a few comparison sites and competitors. The product is then supplied by post and the customer receives further instructions on matters such as installation by telephone or e-mail.
The online store is then used to buy accessories. Customers of a mail order company study the catalogue and look for a “window display” on the website. They place an order using an order coupon or online form or by telephone. Returns are sent by post, and complaints made by telephone. Even a middle-of-the-road carpet brand has to contend with channel innovation. Direct customers order over the telephone or website. After an online campaign, interested consumers are incentivised on the carpet brand’s website and through a postcode application forwarded to the store, where the final sale is made. Any product complaints are then made directly to the carpet brand, by telephone, and are personally processed by a service department. These examples give an impression of the number of channels simultaneously involved during the sales process. Your business attracts customers, informs and advises them, successfully completes a transaction and offers support, and you then build on the relationship. To avoid any customer disappointment, it is important that each channel’s output lives up to the customer’s expectations. It is therefore essential to involve the customer in the creation of the channel strategy. Step by step, you run through the various channels with the customer, ascertaining the key needs in the various phases of the selling process for each channel (printed media, telephone, Internet, personal). What does the customer want? Information, transaction and support? Are there opportunities for cross- and up-selling?
The MarketingMonday channel/phase analysis produces a clear recommendation for your new multi-channel strategy. We study the customer’s wishes, but also weight up the costs involved in the new approach. For example: the payoff for personal contact is higher revenues; if a voice-response system is used for ordering, the income may be lower. Naturally, we will discuss and design the various channels in consultation with you, enabling you to benefit from the wide experience and extensive knowledge of MarketingMonday’s specialists.
- Consumers use a number of channels during the sales process
- Design each phase of the sales process correctly
- Avoid any customer disappointment
- Involve the customer in the design of the various channels
- Choose the most efficient channel combination based on marketing intelligence insights
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