Marketing Channel Strategy
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that sells virtually everything. Some items that the retailer carries in-store, such as those with high weight-to-value ratios, including bags of cement or large packages of rice, may not be worth the shipping costs and should be designated for only in-store or click-and-collect channels. As this example suggests, a good omni-channel seller integrates inventory and pricing information across channels, to avoid cross-channel competition or con- fusion among consumers. Firms might designate and clearly mark certain items as only available online; if they charge different prices across channels, they should offer a clear description and explanation for why. When Walmart acquired Jet.com, it also gained access to Jet’s proprietary smart cart technology that relies on real- time dynamic pricing mechanisms and adjusts the prices customers pay for the OMNI-CHANNEL STRATEGY 355 items in their electronic shopping basket, according to the number of items they order, where in the supply chain the items are located, and whether a customer is willing to forgo return privileges. 57 With regard to their inventory management, the best solution matches sellers’ wider strategy. Retailers operating just a few locations might be better served by a centralized inventory management system, but such a design could be risky if the central location experiences bad weather or other disasters, such that it cannot react with sufficient speed to shifts in demand in other geographical locations. 58 Larger operations thus tend to adopt hub-and-spoke models, with larger stores acting as hubs that ship orders to both smaller stores and to customers who have ordered online. 59 In this setup, the sellers need a sophisticated order management system to synchronize inventory across hubs, spokes, and distribution centers, in an effort to find the least expensive means to get products to consumers quickly, while also avoiding stockouts anywhere in the supply chain. In essence, technology can get customers the products they want, at a time and place of their choosing, according to what they are willing to pay. Retailers increasingly rely on artificial intelligence (AI) tools to make this a reality. Obviously, the use of technology is not limited to product markets. It can motivate consumers to sign up for tải về 5.39 Mb. Chia sẻ với bạn bè của bạn:
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