Customers want to be able to buy in a store or online or via app, from anywhere, at any time. Perhaps the most problematic aspect of multichannel marketing is actually getting products to buyers--the '
last mile' challenge.
Different retailers are tackling the 'last mile' challenge in different ways, as
Marketing Week points out in its
yearend review of UK marketing.
- Waitrose is storing grocery purchases in temperature-controlled lockers that buyers unlock with a code delivered via mobile. This allows the grocery chain to serve customers in areas where it has no stores.
- Ebay purchased Shutl in October, with the goal of speeding purchases to customers in a growing number of markets worldwide.
- Asda's 'click & collect' program adds convenience by encouraging shopping via app and convenient pickup from locations near customers' homes or offices.
- Amazon has announced plans to investigate the use of drones (Octocopters) for delivery within 30 minutes of online ordering. Really.
Watch for more innovations and experiments as online marketers test new ways to make buying and receiving products as convenient and painless as possible.
