BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - February 11, 2009) - Aberdeen, a Harte-Hanks Company (
NYSE:
HHS),
surveyed 120 retail enterprises between December 2008 and January 2009 to
determine the current state of multi-channel retailing, and the future
implementation of the digital and mobile channels. Aberdeen data reveals
that 58% of retailers surveyed have had a multi-channel initiative in place
for at least one year. Best-in-Class companies are 1.5 times as likely as
Industry Average and Laggard companies to have implemented these
initiatives in that time. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report,
visit:
http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=5650.
Aberdeen data shows that continued evolution in customer content
consumption habits and channel affinity is dictating new digital and
multi-channel retail initiatives. The high-touch and high-involvement
shopping environments such as consumer electronics, apparel, luxury,
department stores, and other specialty segments are ideal entrants in this
shift towards "a digital customer."
A third of Best-in-Class retailers are also developing programs for new
channels, such as the mobile channel, at a higher level than Industry
Average and Laggard companies. "Despite the fact that such programs have so
far had greater success and scalability in some Asia-Pacific and European
Union countries, the emergence of new retail channels such as mobile does
enable the retailer's ability to serve an untapped customer base or buying
affinity of existing customers," says Sahir Anand, senior analyst and chief
author of the digital and multi-channel retailing report.
The multi-channel retailing experience continues to grow as consumers'
needs and wants change. Last year's multi-channel report indicated that the
top pressure facing retailers was the need to increase cross-channel
shopping. This year, there has been a shift in pressures, with the number
one pressure being the need to address rapid changes in customer needs and
preferences for sales channels. While this pressure is uniform across all
retailers, 61% of Best-in-Class retailers are feeling the pressure more so.
The top strategic action being undertaken by Best-in-Class retailers for
multi-channel deployment is to create product offers and services for all
channels of operations (52%). These companies are 50% more likely than
Industry Average and Laggards to create these offers and services across
all channels. This enables the multi-channel brand to acquire a unified
look, feel, and experience for customers. "In 2008, Best-in-Class retailers
were 1.5 times more likely than Laggards to adopt company hosted blogs with
reviews, rich media product presentations, social media monitoring, social
networking tools, customer feedback, and user-generated content. The rapid
evolution in customer buying behavior has meant that retailers are
compelled to make adjustments of content, pricing, marketing, and media
spend," says Anand.
A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the
following underwriters: Microsoft, Cegid, Cactus Commerce, and Crossview.
To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit:
http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=5650.
For additional access to complimentary Retail Research, please visit
http://research.aberdeen.com/index.php/-retail.
About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company
Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market
intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more
than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely
positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating
demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment
analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets,
corporations turn to Aberdeen™ for insights that drive decisions.
As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in
context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's
analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of
Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement -
Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role
Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit
Aberdeen
http://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more
about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to
http://www.harte-hanks.com.
© 2009 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
451 D Street, Suite 710
Boston, Massachusetts 02210-1928
Telephone: (617) 854-5200
Fax: (617) 723-7897
www.aberdeen.com
Contact Information: Media Contact:
Sahir Anand
Aberdeen Harte-Hanks
Sahir.Anand@aberdeen.com
Chris Cunnane
Aberdeen Harte-Hanks
Chris.Cunnane@aberdeen.com