Omnichannel retail has been an ever present trend for the past few years but it remains difficult to do. In this episode, Tim Mason, CEO of Eagle Eye Solutions, former Deputy CEO of Tesco and architect of the extremely successful Tesco Clubcard loyalty programme, explain how you can transform your stores to win in today’s digital world. In fact, Tim has just released his new book, Omnichannel Retail: How to build winning stores in a digital world. It’s co-authored by Miya Knights and published by Kogan Page. In this episode, you’ll discover:
- What is omnichannel and how does it compare to multichannel.
- How to get major changes through governance and board meetings.
- What is the Hawthorne effect and why do you need to be careful of it.
- The two different calls to action that you must not get confused about.
- How “real time marketing” or “marketing in the now” will revolutionise marketing for retailers.
This is a 2-part conversation, so be sure to subscribe to the podcast on your favourite podcast app or using the button on the player above. Listen to part 2 in episode 31.
Introducing Tim Mason
Tim Mason is the CEO of Eagle Eye Solutions Group plc. He’s got 30+ years of grocery and retail experience in his back pocket. Previously, he was at Tesco where he was Deputy CEO along with many other roles, including Chief Marketing Officer and CEO for the US based business, Fresh and Easy. Throughout his career, he became known for championing the customer and was responsible for a series of highly transformational initiatives. These included:
- Tesco Clubcard
- Tesco.com / Tesco Direct
- The “Every Little Helps” slogan
In 1995, Tim Mason led the launch of the Tesco Clubcard. This was the first major supermarket loyalty scheme and would be one of the cornerstones to Tesco’s successes since then. Essentially, Clubcard allowed Tesco to understand customers and shopping behaviours. He explores some of the journey of this in the show and even more in the book.
The holy grail that one really should be aspiring to is real time marketing Tim Mason
Why is omnichannel retail so important?
We continue to hear about the stresses and strains on the retail marketplace. The internet and ecommerce is often thought of as the villain as high streets and shopping malls battle empty units and the so called “retail apocalypse”. However, physical stores continue to hold a uniqueness that online retail cannot combat with. The personal touch. Human relationships. Take a second and think about the last physical store that you went to. Now, think about the last online store that you went to. Let me guess, the memory of the physical store is a lot stronger. More vivid in your imagination. In store experience offers the chance to forge memories. Good and bad memories of course, so you need to be careful! Omnichannel retail is your opportunity to take that and combine it with the scale and efficiencies that digital enablement bring.
About Omnichannel Retail, the book
Tim Mason has just released Omnichannel Retail and has been working with retail technology expert and co-author Miya Knights. Perhaps you remember Miya Knights who recently co-authored the book “Amazon” with Natalie Berg. In fact, she is one of the brilliant guests on the Retail Transformation Show, in episodes 12, 16 and 17. So, in Omnichannel Retail, Tim and Miya offer you fascinating insights on using digital technologies to transform the in-store shopping experience. They lay out a plan to help retailers ensure their physical stores don’t just become a “digital black hole.” It’s published by Kogan Page and you can pick up a copy from all good book retailers. Inside the covers, you’ll find:
- Lessons from Tim’s experience in designing, developing, deploying and building Tesco Clubcard.
- Practical tips for retailers and customer facing businesses about how to digitally connect with your customers.
- How to exploit the concept of “research online, buy offline” (ROBO) to build real and profitable relationships with your best customers
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