The challenge of multichannel marketing isn’t connecting with our customers. The Internet allows us to do that with ease. Logistics is the limiting factor that keeps a company from reaching its potential.
Recently I visited Dillard’s department store to purchase a specific pair of pants as a gift. My local store had the style and color, but not the size. The sales associate checked inventory at other stores and found the correct size in another state. I asked her to have the pants shipped to me. She responded that they could see if the item was available but they could not order it. She escorted me to customer service so they could provide the telephone number for the stores with the pants.
I returned home, logged on to www.dillards.com in hopes of finding the pants. They were not available online. So, I dutifully called the stores until I found one that would ship the pants to me. (It took three calls.) If I had been shopping for myself instead of for my mom, I would have stopped with the Internet search.
Dillard’s failed the shopping challenge. While they had the product I wanted, accessibility to purchase it was challenging. The lack of a viable system that provides visibility and accessibility across channels and locations prevents the company from reaching its full potential.
What logistics prevent your company from growing to your potential? Give it some thought. Your customers will thank you.
I am an employee at Dillard’s and was concerned to hear about the experience you had in one of our stores. Dillard’s does in fact have a wonderful locator system to track down merchandise in other stores and have it sent directly to our customers via our “mid-desk”. I am curious to know what store specifically you had a problem with. We obviously have an employee training issue at that store that needs to be addressed. We look forward to using your experience to help make Dillard’s a more pleasant shopping experience for all of our customers.