Retailers on Wrong Track

Most multichannel retailers don't adequately track customer behavior across channels, risking the loss of sales to retailers who have tracking nailed, according to a report just out from New York-based Jupiter Communications. Jupiter analysts say retailers with the ability to measure multichannel purchasing and tap into it for marketing strategies are seeing their customers who shop multiple channels spend perhaps 30 percent more than their single channel shopper counterparts do. "Failure to anticipate customers' needs and create a cohesive experience across all channels will waste not only marketing dollars, but alienate the company's best customers," says Michele Rosenshein, a Jupiter analyst. "Retailers must learn to leverage the strengths of each channel to serve a given customer." Companies with multiple sales channels will see improvements in direct response programs by tracking cross channel customers throughout sales, marketing and customer service contact points, she adds.