News

The Integration Sensation

As retailers and others use ever more marketing devices, the challenge is getting them to say the same thing, the same way.

March 29, 2005

In a typical episode of his sitcom, Jerry Seinfeld begins yet another ill-fated romance, this time with a woman who in normal lighting is attractive, but who in dim spaces takes on different, somewhat sinister features. She flat-out scares him when the dome light in his car goes off.

If only she had heard about multi-channel integration.

That, for the benefit of the lovelorn Mr. Seinfeld, is the ability to make sure a message communicates the same wherever it shows up-be it on a digital display screen, a pair of different kiosks, or the usually pretty face of a sitcom character. Multi-channel (a.k.a. cross-channel, multi-platform or cross-platform) is hot right now. And as the diversity of tech tools that retailers, carriers and others bring to bear in the era of high-tech consumer service continues to mushroom, it will only get hotter.

"Multi-channel is important because things are competitive out there," said "Customers have more choice of products and services, and it's harder and harder to capture that customer and keep them loyal."

Millions have been spent on the e-business infrastructure in the last 10 years, according to Dave Gonsiorowski, president and CEO of Webraiser Technologies Inc. The technology is there. Now, it is time to figure how best to use it all-preferably in harmony.

"It's all about deployment, not development," he said.

Doug Peter, president of St. Clair Interactive, said multi-channel integration is rapidly catching on in the retail world, slower in entertainment venues and little or no activity in government.

"In other words," Peter said, "the trend to self-service and the trend to integration are not synchronized. There's probably more cost pressure and a greater realization of the ongoing costs of multiple systems and multiple content handling. Retailers currently have several different types of customer-facing devices and want many, many more."

Peter cited three big challenges with multi-channel: Content/scheduling, support, and integration with store systems.

"The best practice is to use real-time store price file and real-time customer loyalty/recognition with targeted offers and shopper-friendly transactions," he said. "Multi-channel allows one set of content origination, one merchandising schedule, and one set of data integration, unified measurement and monitoring."

Peter said it is valuable to have all devices conform to a corporate network and be tied to one core database to update information such as product pricing.

"The alternative is working with one company's digital signage system, another company's shelf-labeling system, and a third company's kiosk system," he said.

"Each device has a role to play in dealing with customers, but it only makes business sense if they use the same strategy," he said. "Retailers can deliver content, data, images, animations and advertising loops over a common system."

Putting it all together

Sylvia Berens, vice president of sales and marketing for Apunix Computer Services, said while inroads have been made with multi-channel integration, "it's still a very fragmented market."

"You see people either using kiosks or digital signs or POS and it's not as well integrated as it could be or perhaps should be," she said.

Berens said, however, she's witnessed some convergence in technology. For example, now available is a 30-inch LCD-based touchscreen that can serve as a kiosk and a digital sign at the same time.

"There's a potential of having different devices that all say the same message or take the devices and integrate them into a common platform," she said. "So a kiosk can be a digital sign when it's not in use as a kiosk and can turn into an interactive device when a consumer wants to learn more about a particular product.

"When you walk into a store you might see a large digital sign advertising some specials. Then you might use interactive technology to delve deeper into the messages at the digital sign itself or on-the-shelf experience or on-the-wall experience. But the branding should be similar and the messaging should be similar."

She said the messaging could be changed based on the time of day, based on the type of shoppers that come in at that time, or based on the shoppers' experiences.

Berens said she expects multi-channel integration to pick up the pace.

"The price points for the units are going down on the hardware side, which has been one of the biggest hurdles," she said. "You're also seeing better networks in place within the stores, and the capability of getting these devices wired."

Two leaders in multi-channel integration are BMW and Fleet Bank, according to Bob Ventresca, marketing director of Netkey, which consults with the companies.

Ventresca said BMW's kiosks, found in airports and shopping malls among other places, carry messages similar to those on the company's Web site and in its TV commercials.

"The company has been very consistent about making sure customers have a very similar experience whenever they interact with BMW," he said.

Fleet Bank's kiosks allow customers to sign up for new services and to do online transactions in their accounts. Those kiosks are linked to targeted messages found on plasma screens in bank branch locations.

"Increasingly retailers want to ensure within a store environment's self-service systems-whether it's a kiosk, digital sign or plasma screen-that there's a consistency across the messages that are communicated through those vehicles," Ventresca said.

"Customer satisfaction is important. It's important that a customer leaves the store satisfied with the experience."