PepsiCo, Mead Johnson-Reckitt and Schnucks Leaders Explore What It Takes to Master Omnichannel Excellence
When it comes to stitching together different facets of an omnichannel business, the seams can sometimes show. Closing those gaps for a true seamless experience for both consumers and stakeholders involves a combination of integrated data, cross-functional collaboration and trust-based customer relationships.
Those are some conclusions shared by leaders of PepsiCo, Mead-Johnson-Reckitt and Schnuck Markets, in a session moderated by Jon Harding, SVP, global CIO at Conair, during CGT’s Analytics Unite event in Chicago.
What Does ‘Omni’ Really Mean?
It may seem straightforward to define omnichannel excellence as creating satisfying products and interactions across multiple physical and digital sites, but there are different layers to such endeavors, the leaders pointed out. The commonality? The layers revolve around data, whether in the CPG sector or retail industry.
“I love getting into data analytics, but we use that to tell a story to bring it together with the human reality,” explained Ellen Webb, VP, shopper analytics and insights at PepsiCo. “At PepsiCo, it’s making sure that we show up our best way in all of the different touchpoints across the omnichannel experience, so we are not trading off one channel for the other but raising all of these together.”
From a retailer's point of view, the layers are related to how shoppers interact with the store in its various forms.
“We really focus and define our approach to omnichannel as more about the market. Success in your online experience at Schnucks is no different than your in-store experience with Schnucks,” said Caleb Carr, senior director of data science and engineering at Schnucks.
“Maybe you have a sick family member, so you want online delivery. Maybe you want to do pick-up on the way home from your kid’s practice. Or maybe you want to go into the store and pick out the perfect produce and meat for your family’s needs,” he added. “It’s really about that holistic approach of not just digital or not just brick-and-mortar, but how do we blur those lines to really differentiate ourselves and empower folks wherever they choose to interact with our company?”
Pick Your Battles
Trying to create consistent data-driven experiences across integrated digital platforms and physical spaces is always a work in progress, given the various challenges that emerge.
“For us, it’s managing the possibility of granularity and execution, and actually being able to execute that. We are constantly having to make trade-offs between what we can do and what we should do. Those things are not always the same,” said Webb.
In addition to navigating the “should’s” and “can’s,” CPGs and retailers must also address common structural obstacles. “The harmonization of data is one of the biggest challenges that any organization is facing today. The second business challenge is the silo of functions,” observed Ganesh Sivakumar, chief data analytics and AI officer at nutrition company Mead Johnson-Reckitt. He cited the many teams involved in harnessing and leveraging data, including those in marketing, sales and operations, who aren’t always fully aware of what each other are doing.
Scale Personalization for Success
As they work thoughtfully to harmonize data and de-silo their functions, brands and retailers are guided by their end users, who will ultimately determine omnichannel excellence, the experts said. For example, integrating relevant data from different touchpoints is increasingly creating a view of a single consumer.
“I think we just have to be mindful of not being enamored with data for the sake of it and think about the real strategic question or problem to solve, and how this data comes together in a way that makes sense that we can action off the back of it,” declared Webb.
Carr agreed. “Just because you have data doesn’t mean it’s actionable, and just because you have data doesn’t mean it's good data. One of the big investments we’ve made over the last five years is building what we call our customer journeys. We can tell you not just who they are now, but who they were a year ago versus two years ago,” he reported, noting that Schnucks connects with those individual consumers on their respective journeys with tailored digital coupons, custom messages and custom imagery, among other tools.
That said, as advancing tech, including AI, enables more shopper-level customization, organizations will walk the line between hyper-personalization and operational realities. “You need to understand your audience and have a 360 view of the plan — don’t hyper-personalize every single sentiment,” advised Sivakumar. “And, as we scale to an audience, we need to understand the right message that we need to tackle.”
That means that even as data and tech move quickly, decisions don’t have to be similarly rapid-fire in nature. “From a store execution standpoint, you have to make choices based on the complexity to execute — is it worth it?” said Webb. “It’s complicated, and we have to make trade-offs. Everyone wants to go as granular as possible, but if we can't do that well, it's going to result in a negative experience for that shopper, which is not what we want to have.”
