Brian Best (G-Star Raw): “To succeed you must let the data lead you”
G-Star Raw North America’s head of ecommerce, Brian Best, unveils a few tips that companies should tap into in order to stay up to date with the changes occurring between online platforms and physical stores; “the companies that are doing very well are the ones that are evolving an omnichannel presence.”
Retailers must evolve in order to survive, according to G-Star Raw’s head of ecommerce, Brian Best in North America. The director developed his lengthy career within the retail industry, precisely in the ecommerce sector. Best joined G-Star Raw North America in July 2018, prior to entering the Dutch company he worked at Tommie Copper, ECI NEW York, preserving corresponding positions to the one that he currently holds. The ecommerce expert similarly extended his expertise at fashion companies such as Coach and the PVH group.
When asked about the evolution of ecommerce in the retail industry, Brian Best explained that “companies that are doing very well are the ones that are evolving an omnichannel presence,” nowadays, physical stores must seek to render the same level of experience engagement that online platforms deliver to customers, the expert added.
The possession of both offline and online preferences of a customer could help supply a better and more personalized experience.
Numerous retailers have embraced the evolution of omnichannel, nevertheless, to wrestle the appealing concept of online shopping, companies have opted for innovative approaches which led to the rise of concept stores, the next step to personalization, curation, and uniqueness; it provides experimental elements and appeals to shoppers.
Another example of a mechanism that could be implemented to heighten the shoppers’ experience in stores is the service, the expert mentioned handheld devices as an example. A tool containing clients’ data preferences that would be assigned to sales assistants, blurring the lines separating the digital and physical experience. The possession of both offline and online preferences of a customer could help supply a better and more personalized experience.
Best reveals that the companies that fully take advantage of the collected information are the ones that will survive in the long haul. Although having up-to-date technology is not the sole key to retaining clients, he referred to Selfridges, his favorite department store, founded in 1908, which has been providing experiential shopping practices to customers for a long period of time. That said, Selfridges grasped when to set in motion and embrace the evolution of ecommerce in its strategy, in recent years the British chain of department stores strengthened its digital tactics; it invested in an Android app, in its website, a Chinese language website and included to the already attractive batch, free deliveries next day delivery with free returns to members of the chain.
“Companies that are doing very well are the ones that are evolving an omnichannel presence,” said Brian Best, head of ecommerce for G-Star Raw North America
“It’s almost as if, to revolutionize retail you almost have to go back to the early days where that’s all you had, and because of that, it was essential to make that single experience count, whereas now, ecommerce is a component of the equation,” said the director. However, he equally believes that if it’s warranted a realignment of the physical retail footprint might be necessary. The easy access and agility that accompany the omnichannel strain the standards of physical stores, which ought to find new means to engage, entertain, and provide experiences for customers.
According to the expert, the main key strategies in order to fully prevail as an ecommerce, it's to let the data lead you, some businesses aren’t fully leveraging the data of the consumers, consequently creating rifts between them and the shifting consumer. Best highlights that ecommcerce thrive when they’re able to get a clear insight into data points and that allows you to create customer insights, which drives companies to familiarize themselves with their customers’ likings and render distinct experiences for shoppers. Despite data being the central engine of ecommerces, certain companies still use legacy systems, an archaic method that does not fully grasp contemporary information generated today online, which could prove to be a minor setback for certain companies when striving for prominent intentions online.
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