CHICAGO – Monica Luechtefeld, executive vice president of strategy and development at Office Depot, has no doubt that multichannel marketing and retailing is here to stay and the way to go.
The keynote speaker at the Chicago Association of Direct Marketing’s 51st Annual DM Days & Expo at Navy Pier said her company fully embraced all channels, including the store, catalog, inserts and the Internet.
“Today’s consumers are moving from consuming those channels to demanding something from those channels,” Luechtefeld said.
She is noticing several other trends.
People are moving from larger corporations to smaller, home-based businesses. The workplace is aging and becoming more middle-aged. The nation is moving from one of majorities and minorities to one of pluralities. Technical skills are in higher demand.
Also, retailers are producing their own private-label products in competition with national brands. And consumers expect ubiquity across channels – mail, catalog, store and the Web.
“[Finally], we’re seeing people moving from wired to wireless,” Luechtefeld said.
