From,e-commerce,eee-commerce,T ecommerce From “e-commerce” to “eee-commerce”

I will be answering three main questions in this Emerald Passport Review for all of the tenacious Entrepreneurs that are seeking the ideal Home Based Business Opportunity. Internet Marketing has seen some tremendous growth in the "work at ho Wood handles are used in tools due to their ability to provide a good grip when holding the tool. Unlike many other types of handles; wooded handles are easy to grip do not transfer heat and are not an electrical conductor. Therefore, making

The concept of “everything everywhere” isbecoming and will be the most disruptive factor in the next couple of years inthe retail industry at first and all over the map immediately after that. Thewebsite or e-commerce site and the online and mobile channel are not seenanymore as simple alternatives or complementary to a physical store; they havebecome core part of the business strategy, blurring the lines between onlineand physical shopping experience. This is the “omni-channel” approach and itcomes as a solution to the fast-paced retailing industry, encompassing bothonline and physical experience from the customer’s point of view. Omni-channel philosophyfully integrates “digital” and “physical” and is an imperative part of thesmart retailer’s strategy. If dealing with a business to consumer model one hasto be aware that the client is now the one that creates the shopping experienceas he wishes, by jumping from one channel to another, thus finding itself inthe omni-channel. The journey that starts with the decision-making process andcontinues with the actual purchase is no longer dictated by the seller.Retailers have to adapt their processes to the nowadays informed and connectedcustomer that expects a content rich, dynamic, fun and easy shopping experienceoverall. It can very well be called a “second digitalrevolution” and retailers seen as pioneers in providing the adequateinfrastructure for this new commerce paradigm driven by the integration of theonline and the physical in one “roller-coaster” shopping experience.  A major driver in this new selling equationnot to be overlooked is the fact that a “digital” customer is in a permanentsearch of daily, quick “digital snacks” that he can enjoy on his or herpersonal real time device. Digital snacks have to be appealing, with personalizedcontent of limited length and a clear message to be delivered directly to thecustomer’s devices where he can snack on it on his way to work or when shoppingin the mall. Retailers face the challenge of constantly producing engaging,easy to read content, that also captures the essence of what they want totransmit and then making it available when and where the client searches forit. As one can infer, the retailer’s task is not atall an easy one, especially if you consider that he must find the perfectbalance between how to use and re-define the multiple sales and contentgenerations channels at its disposal and even design new ones in the race forthe market-share. The solution is a fully-integrated platform that can offer a24/7 hyper-connected experience for the customer that expects to find anythinghe searches for at any given time through different but perfectly integratedchannels. That is why omni-channel marketing has to be perceived more as an“on-going conversation” and less as a campaign in order to fully engage thecustomer, with a complete coordination between the available resources -information, people and devices - both in-store and online.The big players are setting the standardsBy looking at some of the big names in the retailand other industries, one already finds innovative approaches to how thecustomer experience is being improved and enhanced both in-store and online. Usingtheir personal devices clients can nowadays scan barcodes as they are strollingthrough supermarket lanes and compare the prices on the shelves with thecompetitor’s. This is exactly what BigW, the Australian chain of discountdepartment stores does, by providing their customers with a free app - aprecious source of information for the client regarding the BigW products andprices. Also, thanks to geo-location now some stores are able to target theircustomers as they are in-store or in specific locations by sending them notificationswith updates and offers tailored to their needs and personal purchase history. HereNordstrom, the upscale fashion retailer, is already ahead of the crowd byfocusing on its young and “digital” segment by offering mobile check-outservices in-store and geo-location to send out their special offers at just theright time. Also, the luxury department store Neiman Marcus began testing inselected stores across the US, a system that requires the clients to use adedicated app in order to let the sales personnel know when they are presentin-store and ready for a personal shopper-like experience.Augmented reality experiences are created toengage the customer and to render the shopping experience more fun, taking theshape of interactive ads or panels that one can stumble upon while strollingthrough the city streets. The car manufacturers Toyota and Volkswagen have bothused this technique in order to launch two of their new models in the past twoyears: one could just open the designated app on their devices, point the cameratowards the physical ad and wait for the fun to begin as they were witnessing a“live” video through the “eyes” of their device’s camera. This can also betransferred to the in-store experience, exactly like the fashion retailerBurberry does, in its famous London store in Regent Street. They have addedelectronic tags to clothes so that when a customer holds an item in front of ascreen he or she is presented with a video of the exact same item being worn ina fashion show. Let’s not forget the virtual mirror that allows you to try onclothes without even having to lift a finger. Ok, maybe a finger is stillrequired in order to handle the virtual mirror in front of you but of coursethe technology is yet to be perfected.If you are worried that you forgot your deviceat home, which is nowadays less and less likely, the stores come equipped withdevices of their own where customers can find catalogues and lots of otheruseful information. They can take the shape of tablets like in the Sephora andPinko shops and in the near future, multi-touch tables that allow you to orderand read the press just like the ones that McDonald’s is now testing in the fashioncapital of Europe, Milan - available only to a restricted public. The client, as seen above, is the central pointof the successful omni-channel shopping experience, so the seller comes to itsaid with several devices and new technologies that facilitate the actualdecision-making and acquisition process. That being said, another key elementof providing a flawless customer experience is the sales associate’s trainingand tools they have at their disposal. Apple and Macy’s have great trainingprogrammes and principles that are meant to identify the needs and provide theanswers that the customer is looking for. The intelligent retailer has to finda way to have the information available at any given place and time: the salesassociate is equipped with a device that shows him or her, a personal purchasehistory of the loyal customers as they walk into the store and of course has allanswers available at the click of a button. Here Neiman Marcus is again fast inadopting the new technology given that their application allows the customersto chat with the sales associates from home and in-store when they needassistance. Another crucial factor is the ability to synchronize stockinformation between online and physical stores in order to give the customer acomplete set of information when he is in search of a product, although manyretailers still fail to do so. The social media frenzy which is still going onbut always changing shape is a part of the omni-channel wave sweeping throughcommerce. People like to share and comment their preferences, their happymoments and also negative experiences. This cannot be overlooked by retailersthat should claim the value of the content created by their customers in the onlineenvironment and transfer it to the physical store to bring even moreintegration between channels. Nordstrom does exactly that by attaching a Pinteresticon tag on those items in-store that were declared the most popular on thebrand’s Pinterest account (based on the customer’s choices). This is a stepthat really creates an engaging shopping experience even for the digital savvyyounger customers which spend their time commenting and liking their friends’posts on the social media.The “everything, everywhere, everymoment-commerce”is certainly more than a trend and it cannot be overlooked by the retailers,who are the ones to lead the way in the omni-channel revolution. Fear notthough, the other industries will also have to adapt as the customer willbecome more and more demanding and accustomed to having easy access to any typeof information, products or services through all the different channels. Whendesigning the marketing strategy and at a higher level, the managementstrategy, companies will have to consider the omni-channel wave and either gowith it or, even better be the ones that help shape it.