How to help brands in the customer journey - Interview Netcomm Forum

Apologies in advance for the Google Auto Translation of this article which was a from an interview while at Netcomm Forum Milan earlier in the year. Original Italian version link above.  ?? 

It is not easy to combine brands in their digital strategy. Furthermore, there are still many frictions among retailers, brands and consumers. We talked about it with Niall O'Gorman, Co-founder ChannelSight.   

What does ChannelSight do? Our role is to be the connective tissue between brands and their media channels. If someone tries to buy a Philips toothbrush, a Candy washing machine or a Delonghi coffee machine, they ask themselves whether to do it through the company website, the media or some kind of activation. Our job is to show retailers where they can buy to item that they are interested in. We help global brands to capture and convert purchase intentions across all digital channels. We are the connective tissue between the retail and the brand community, and we eliminate friction for consumers in finding products. 

We help global brands to capture and convert purchase intentions on all digital channels. We are the connective tissue between the retail and the brand community, and we eliminate frictions for consumers in finding products. 

In which sectors do you work?  We work in many areas, including consumer electronics, domestic applications, white goods, luxury and even pharmaceutical . A very broad target, which also includes gaming, sports, toys and cosmetics . The platform has certainly changed over time, considering the maturity of the different types of brands and verticals, so consumer electronics is more advanced today than it was 10 years ago. But this is a sector in which digital has moved ahead of other industries. 

But what is the current challenge? Understanding the platforms is the problem. Even if the brands had the skills within themselves or used external agencies, being able to stay up to date is a problem. Some brands have only a very basic presence, they provide very simple product information and are not directly handling communication, they have no control of the customer journey. 

We have noticed that in the last year several brands are going through significant digital transformation and the main reason is that the consumer now has control of the buying process versus brands or retailers.

We have noticed that in the last year several brands are going through significant digital transformation and the main reason is that the consumer is now in control of the buying process versus brands or retailers. In the past, it was a very straightforward process, the brand would have had a TV-driven media campaign, then press and offline channels. In this way, the " funnel " is simple. Now, the consumer controls everything from their smartphone and does it in more ways, even digitally, we think of the different social networks. Consumers move around and brands must be with them, providing the most relevant information to help them discover, explore and ultimately buy their products. 

Where do you operate? Founded in 2013, we now operate in 70 countries, supporting over 120 brands. The markets are different, if we think only of the United Kingdom compared to the United States, we see that there is a big difference between the two in how people research and buy brands products. 

The maturity of eCommerce and people's confidence in making purchases and online transactions is different from country to country.

But the level of maturity of digital systems has its own importance? The maturity of eCommerce and people's confidence in making purchases and online transactions is different from country to country. For example, in Brazil, we now see confidence grow and there are more online transactions, but if I think of Germany , we see that it is still very difficult to convince people to use credit cards to make purchases, using COD (Cash On Delivery) . These are two examples that show that there is no one size fits all solution.