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Multi-channel monkey business: Close your stores? Close your call centre? Go offline?

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Subject:  Multi-channel monkey business: Close your stores? Close your call centre? Go offline? Ashley Friedlein - Favourite
Author:   Ashley :   view profile | all posts by this author | add to favourites
Date:   13:24:12 5 April 2006
 
On the one hand there are plenty of 'traditional' businesses closing their offline channels because of the impact of the web:

1. "In view of the continuing growth of our internet sales UK internet bookings reached 16% in October this year, compared with 9% in October 2004 - the Board has decided to bring forward its planned realignment of its distribution channels and close 110 Going Places shops in November 2005."

2. "Dixons to quit high street after 70 years - The owner of Dixons has unveiled plans to scrap its "bricks and mortar" operations on the high street after nearly 70 years and instead focus the electrical retailer's brand name exclusively on the web." 

3. "BA plans to close its call centre in Belfast - which employs 100 people - and all 17 of its UK Travel Shops, by August, affecting a further 300 staff. The company said one of the main reasons was that more people were booking flights and holidays online." 

On the other you've got brands like confetti.co.uk busy opening stores, direct specialists like EmpireDirect turning towards offline advertising away from online, and even Dabs.com capitulating to customer service demands and adding live chat to their site (next stop a call centre?).

Meanwhile you've got retailers like oki-ni who've always seen their stores as just "shop-windows":

"In addition to the website, we have physical presence in various cities in the UK. The flagship store is at 25 Savile Row, London, with a concession in Glasgow. We do not retail product from the physical sites, they are more gallery than shop: an opportunity to get familiar with oki-ni, and the product, before heading online to order."

So the answer is this - have a few shops and a smattering of offline customer service to provide a bit of real-world touchy-feeliness but sell it all online?

In the meantime, what the hell, I'm off to set up a call centre for E-consultancy (read http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/03/25/sky-click-your-web-call-center-with-skype/ to see how)... ;)

It's a busy old multi-channel world.

Ashley Friedlein
CEO, E-consultancy.com
 
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