I was pleased to be interviewed in the July issue of Hearth and Home magazine, in an article by Mark Brock titled, “Enemy to Frenemy to Friend.” The piece is all about the trend of specialty retailers to use advanced digital marketing more and more.
A quick summary is that for many years, the Internet and all things digital were seen by specialty retailers as “the enemy.”
While online merchants continue to be primary competition for specialty retailers, a fundamental shift has occurred and is accelerating. Retailers are becoming more adept at using digital marketing—from websites and social media to search and email blasts—to connect with their customers and encourage them to come into the showroom.
Websites are morphing from brochure-ware to interactive sites that serve as the hub of digital marketing programs, providing a showroom experience online and a landing page for search while creating personality, credibility, and brand. Retailers are increasingly active on social media, particularly Facebook, because of its reach and targeting capabilities, and Instagram because of its emphasis on visual and lifestyle content and its growing popularity.
https://www.hearthandhome.com/magazine/2019-06-14/enemy_to_frenemy_to_friend.html
