Following the acquisition of Naked Wines last year, Majestic Wines has been transforming itself into a true multichannel retailer.
According to Naked Wines (and now Majestic CEO) Rowan Gormley:
Someone is going to reinvent wine retail in a mobile age – we’d like that to be us.
Following his appointment as Majestic Wine CEO, Rowan Gormley has announced ambitious plans to use the store network alongside the brand’s online presence to provide a multichannel customer experience.
Head of Digital Customer at Majestic Wine will be speaking at our Shift event in London, looking at connecting the dots between mobile, customer experience and ROI.
In advance of this, here’s a few areas where Majestic is joining up online and offline channels.
Single customer view
One of the first things Majestic has done is to merge multiple data sources to gain a ‘single view’ of the customer.
In plain English, the company can see online and offline purchases made by customers, which enables them to learn more about purchase behaviour, and to tailor its marketing accordingly.
For example, I receive emails from my local Majestic, advising me of in-store tastings and other offers and events.
It also knows my purchase history, and my weakness for Cotes du Rhone, so that’s what it tempts me with:
On the website, my purchase history is also used effectively. For example, it recommends some of my favourite bottles to tempt me as I add items to my trolley. Its a simple but very smart use of data.
In-store experience
One of the major advantages Majestic has over other retailers is its store network, and the company aims to make the best use of this by linking it closely with its online channels.
The key here is to ensure that stores and online channels are working together, rather than (Read more...) for sales. An effective multichannel strategy is about combining the best features of individual channels to produce a better customer experience.
For Majestic, its 212 stores have a major role to play here. The in-store experience is a big plus. It’s not just about popping a few bottles of wine into a trolley as you might do at Tesco. Instead, customers are encouraged to spend time in store. There are wines to taste, and knowledgable staff if you need advice.
Mobile site and apps
The myMajestic app was launched last year, and provides a place for customers to keep a note on past purchases, favourite wines, notes etc.
It’s great for customer retention and the ability to link in-store shopping history to display in the app is very useful.
Localisation on site
The website works with the stores by highlighting the events taking place.
Local stores are showcased on site, and events and tastings in store are highlighted. For example, I can see which wines are being tasted in my local store today.
There are also staff profiles, which brief bios on each staff member.
In addition to useful features like showing online and in-store order history (great when you can’t remember the name of a bottle you liked), selecting a store online allows you to search that store’s stock and see things like bin-end offers available locally.
Local social accounts
Each store has its own Twitter account so it can appeal to local followers and keep them informed. It’s a great way to add some personality to what would otherwise just be a national store network.
Ready for tonight’s gin tasting. Join us from 6pm to learn about the wonderful world of gin pic.twitter.com/xCPYDRHdoB
— Majestic Darlington (@majesticdar) April 8, 2016
Click and collect
Naturally, click and collect features strongly. It’s featured prominently on site, it’s free and easy to use.
Crucially, it encourages that relationship between customer, website and store. Naturally, many customers will end up buying more when they head into stores to collect their orders.
In summary
Majestic’s multichannel strategy is still a work in progress but the company has the right idea.
It can see the value of customer experience in today’s marketplace and is using its strengths to deliver this whatever channels customers choose, or if they choose to use them all.
An effective multichannel strategy is about using the advantages of each channel to provide the best possible customer experience.
You can hear from Majestic Wine, as well as speakers from Airbnb, GDS, Nissan and more, at our Shift conference in London on 24-25 May.
Related reading
Facebook may be the king of social platforms, but for Gardener's Supply Company, it's all about Pinterest, which brings the company far more traffic and revenue.
Wireframes and flow diagrams help everyone, including stakeholders and project teams, visualize what the website (or app) will look and feel like on a mobile device and how the user will use it.
Email marketing is far from perfect. It often gets given short shrift when something new and shiny and… well… social comes along, ... read more
New statistics show the explosion of original digital programming viewership and ad blocker usage. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Amazon have new features, too.