Reference no: EM132196376

Direct and Digital Marketing is defined as engaging directly with carefully targeted individual consumers and customer communities to obtain an immediate response and build lasting customer relationships. A lot of today’s business is done digitally over digital networks that connect the buyer and seller. It has become a convenience for online shoppers who don’t have the time to shop the “brick & mortar” stores. It also is a way for consumers to compare pricing with different online retailers. It has also given the seller a good way to create customer value and to build relationships with the consumer. In today’s market it is a good business strategy to sell online. Some retailers like Amazon and Overstock.com only sell online. But merchandise retailers like Macy’s, Staples, and Williams Sonoma, to name a few, have joined with online shopping. This creates a cross channel for these retailers to have “in-store”, online, and mobile shopping for their customers also known as Omni-channel retailing. I remember when online shopping was just starting to become popular and I would search for a store online and find out their site only was for locations and weekly ads. I found it very frustrating that I had to travel to that store to make a purchase. As a consumer today, I like that I can shop online whenever I want and where ever I want (as long as I have an internet connection). For websites like Amazon.com I am given suggestions for other items that may be similar to what I am purchasing giving me more choices. I also like that I see things that I have purchased in the past if I am re-ordering something for work or home. For the seller, it is the collecting of information from all purchases digitally that the consumer makes online and then adjusting their market strategy to better fit their consumers. For example, the seller can make price changes and timely notices of sales and promotions. Most sellers today also offer a place on their website to review an item after the purchase. The review benefits both the seller and the buyer. Search engines have made it easy for consumers to search the web for an item just by typing in what it is that you are looking for; thus, making the search for an item a more pleasant experience. In today’s fast paced environment, I am glad for the digital marketing that is available. However, for some items in the market place the direct marketing strategy is still a good choice for consumers.