Happy Multichannel Holiday?

Shoppers are clicking from home, visiting stores, checking comparison sites and apps, watching YouTube product demos, looking at Facebook pages, signing up for deal-of-the-day messages and subscribing to promo tweets--in short, they're using multiple channels to browse and buy this holiday season. As many as 60 million shoppers will buy or compare prices via mobile on Black Friday alone.

What does all this mean for marketers?

• Multichannel strategies are a must. More than ever before, consumers demand the flexibility to buy when and where and how they choose. And they vote with their wallets. Marketers who don't make things easy will be left in the dust, and quickly. Be sure Web sites look good on the mobile screen. Think about shipping fees, sometimes a barrier. Walmart is making a start by offering free shipping on electronics over $45, in a bid to attract shoppers accustomed to the Amazon $25+ free shipping deal.
• Think tech. Consumers are using technology to research products and prices. Marketers better be prepared. The UK's John Lewis chain offers free WiFi so in-store shoppers can go online and check that its prices are the lowest. Lower price somewhere else? John Lewis will match, a good way to keep shoppers from slipping out the door without shopping bags in hand. At the very least, add QR codes to store displays, ads, etc.
• Catalogs? Sort of. JC Penney did away with its famous catalog but now those store racks, once full of bulky catalogs, have flyers that function like mini-catalogs for niche offerings like the JC Penney Sports Fan Shop. I picked one up at a local Penney store the other day; the full-color flyer says: "We have your team. Choose from over 150,000 items." Sports fans on my gift list, be warned.
• Get into social media now. You know--Facebook, YouTube, wherever customers are likely to be social, that's where marketers have to get into the conversation. Claim the name before someone unofficial does it. Multichannel now or customers will change the channel.