Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM FEBRUARY 2018 48 Mike Whitaker Appliance Trends O ver the past two decades, the leaders of retail have witnessed the rise of the internet, firsthand. Throughout the relatively short history of the web, there's always been a lot of noise. By noise, I mean the hype surrounding the excitement for the next game- changing innovation and the latest trend. Virtually, since day one, there's been a fairly consistent source for all this noise, and it's never that hard to find: just follow the money. So, let's talk about the noise in our businesses around the digital machine. We've all heard the new marketing maxim that companies who don't engage in digital marketing are on their way to obsolescence, right? While there's truth to that statement, it quite painfully overlooks the rest of the picture that can breed success. Digital marketing is, simply put, only one small part of the overall marketing mix that the most successful folks in our business are using. While digital is certainly a thing, let's not get ahead of ourselves and declare it the thing. Television and print still lead the way, so traditional marketing is far from dead. These stalwart delivery media remain very effective, even if they have a little less luster than their fresh, new digital counterparts. So, while this article is focused on digital marketing, let's make sure we're on the same page about the overall marketing portfolio required for maximum success. It's a well-rounded, multi- channel array of media that will carry your message to consumers no matter where they're found. Digital marketing, which is about to enter its third decade (hard to believe, right?) virtually exploded with the introduction of the now iconic iPhone, and the smartphone industry it spawned. In the ten short years since, the Internet suddenly became an ever-present, completely portable part of our everyday lives. Today, we take instant information access for granted, and we've become dependent on our mobile devices as our lifeline to the world. As this shift has transpired, the way we market to potential consumers has changed with it. Enter the digital marketing industry. And yes, it's an industry of titanic scale today. According to AdWeek, the revenue of this channel will top $80 billion in the US this year. This is the point at which we begin to encounter the noise. The veteran Baby Boomers who still lead the vast majority of independent appliance retail spent decades becoming masters of analog marketing. They had a keen understanding of traditional marketing media, and found great success across these channels. As digital arose, they experienced a black hole sucking their customers down other paths, and the effectiveness of traditional marketing, especially without digital support, became compressed. Suddenly, these master marketers needed outside resources and support if they were to succeed in the emerging digital world. An array of new terms began swirling around, and everyone needed a piece of each. Is it social? Which keywords should I buy? What should they cost? How do I leverage digital video? Are we targeting correctly? What about the geo-fencing? Dizzy yet? Well, here's the good news, much of what may seem confusing is just noise, so take a deep breath. Before you spend a dime on digital, there are a lot of questions that you'll need to answer, and we'll get to some of those in a moment. The most important question any retailer must ask themselves is: How's my website? You see, your website is the new front door of your company. In a recent study by Nationwide Consumer Insights, the number of consumers starting their durable goods purchasing process online is growing, with over 70% of shoppers starting on W H AT W O R D C O M E S TO M I N D W H E N T H E TO P I C O F D I G I TA L M A R K E T I N G I S M E N T I O N E D ? O P P O R T U N I T Y ? A N X I E T Y ? E XC I T E M E N T ? P E R H A P S F E A R ? A LL A R E VA LI D R E S P O N S E S . F O R A P P LI A N C E R E TA I LE R S , T H E R E AS O N F O R M O ST O F T H E N E G AT I V E F E E LI N G S I S T H E C O N V E R S AT I O N O U R I N D U ST RY H AS B E E N H AV I N G OV E R T H E PAST D E CA D E O R S O . T H AT C O N V E R S AT I O N C O U LD B E T H E P R O B LE M , B E CAU S E TO B E F R A N K , M O ST O F U S H AV E B E E N H AV I N G T H E W R O N G C O N V E R S AT I O N . DIGITAL STRATEGIES: SORTING THE NOISE FROM THE NECESSARY The gateway to store visits is your website — your company's new front door

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