Amazon the Omni-Channel Role Model

Amazon has quickly risen to become an industry leader in omni-channel marketing. In an interview with Fast Company, CEO Jeff Bezos says, “I think neighborhoods, cities, and towns that have evolved are more interesting and delightful than ones that have been carefully top-down planned, there’s just something very human about them.” Amazon believes in the best and fastest service. With this approach, they have been able to create new creative services for customers. Take Prime Video for example, Amazon was swift to take advantage of the recently dropped Top Gear host, Jeremy Clarkson. After BBC dropped him over a physical altercation, he became the subject of a bidding war amongst many. Amazon winning the battle, premiered the new show Grand Tour on their fresh new Prime Video. This became Amazon’s most watched premiere. They also created the “intelligent assistant,” Alexa, Siri’s biggest competition amongst virtual assistants.

Amazon is beginning to take over the physical marketplace. They are popping up around the country with Brick and Mortar locations. And these locations aren’t just general Amazon stores, they target specific markets. The best part is, they are all integrated with their online store. Amazon Go for example is marketed as the first shopping center that doesn’t require any checkout. Customers open their Amazon Go app when they enter the store, take the items they want and leave. Their Amazon account will get charged later. Amazon Pop-Up Store, similar to Apple houses the full range of Amazon devices; Echo, Fire TV, Fire Tablets, and Kindle. Customers can seek expert advice, help setting up products, test devices and choose which one they like best, and choose from a variety of accessories to protect, decorate, and add entertainment to specific devices. (Amazon Go)

Now, Amazon is innovating the marketplace with an entirely new way to shop. The Amazon Treasure Truck has hit the roads, appearing in major cities revealing products at amazing discounts. Customers sign up for text message notifications and are notified when the truck is in their area and what product offers they have “rolling around.” Their call to action targets millennials and consumers with a taste for fun, saying “FOMO? (fear of missing out) sign up for texts.” The Treasure Trucks pose a new obstacle for retailers to sell competitively. So why is Amazon pushing towards the physical marketplace? Although the company already dominates e-commerce, 90% of worldwide retail spending is still in brick-and-mortar stores, according to eMarketer. Amazon has the chance to change retail with automation and data-mining technologies borrowed from e-commerce. (Fortune)

Omni-Channel retailing is a growing, powerful, multi-channel sales approach that more businesses are beginning to rely on. As technology and data-mining continues to grow and evolve, companies need to integrate multiple channels in their marketing approaches in order to compete seamlessly. Amazon is a trend setter in this approach. Maybe your business should consider following the leader and develop your own omni-channel marketing strategy.

Need help setting it up? That’s why JBC & Associates is here to help. We make Pop-Ups simple. We manage all aspects of Pop-Up Store operations to ease your load and allow you to do what you do best: capture sales. Your operating partner must be able to manage all phases of the program such as leasing, employee recruiting hiring and training, POS/IT, store merchandising and sales management, all of which is where JBC excels. The key to successful Specialty Retail Operations for Direct to Consumer companies is to partner with a reputable company such as JBC & Associates that can manage all phases of the retail business in sync with the core business goals of the online and/or catalog channels.