Survey: Website is most dominant digital marketing channel
Boston -- A retailer’s website is its most dominant channel for digital marketing, according to study done by A.T. Kearney done in conjunction with the National Association of Drug Stores. The survey findings were released on Monday, during the NACDS Total Store Expo Insight Session "Winning with Digital Marketing."
The study found that 80% to 90% of respondents using their company website to drive brand awareness, educate consumers, and deliver weekly circulars. About 40% to 50% also use it to increase customer loyalty and to drive increased sales.
"Digital marketing is becoming a game-changer in retail," said Todd Huseby, a partner at A.T. Kearney. "We believe that how companies adopt and adapt with these capabilities will have a long-term impact on successful partnerships between retailers and their suppliers.”
In addition to a company’s website, retailers determined that four other primary vehicles meet most of their goals for digital:
• A large majority also use Facebook to drive brand awareness, again with slightly smaller numbers also focused on loyalty and increased sales.
• Email is a popular tool to educate customers, used by about 60% of respondents for brand awareness, loyalty, and sales. Approximately 40% use email to distribute weekly circulars.
• Mobile is a current priority to drive brand awareness, loyalty, and sales and is very well-suited for loyalty and sales purposes.
• Twitter is primarily used to drive brand awareness and establish a social media presence.
Looking ahead, the study shows that retailers will place more emphasis on smartphone and tablet apps and integrate their marketing across digital and traditional channels – supporting the omnichannel vision that many retailers are working to achieve.
A key to managing this evolution, according to the study, will be for consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies and retailers to understand each other's needs and strengths so that they can combine efforts to win with digital.