Today, I read a blog by Jeffrey Eisenberg called “Gut Check for Retailers” where Jeffrey, a noted columnist for grokdotcom, predicts that most retailers will continue their old “pile it high and watch them buy” promotion-driven marketing efforts, in order to drive revenue in this challenging economy. The old siloed retailer structure, divided into silos, makes fragmented experiences and purely promotional marketing at the product level almost inevitable.

In contrast, Jeffrey talks about retailers who focus on customer experience and improving sales conversion rates. I would like to suggest an expanded focus —designed on the customer from analytics to marketing and sales to measurement. By designing the organization around specific segments of customers (divided not just by behavior but also by attitudes and preferences), a retailer can begin to build a focus on delivering the customer experience to a unique group. If that focus is maintained over time, then the retailer can actually begin to build a relationship, as well as increase revenue, profitability and enhance the value of their brand