Why it’s time for marketers to embrace the ‘ConsuMerchant’ model
The pandemic has seen a slew of retailers moving their bricks and mortar stores online, but it’s not as simple as replacing one with the other and expecting consumers to follow. In the world of online retail, we can empower consumers to become merchants, explained Livia Wang during her session at Mumbrella360: Reconnected.
According to Access Corporate group’s chief brand officer Livia Wang, the best environment for the consumer experience is the physical retail environment: “They can touch, feel, and listen to the brand’s story. They can be introduced to the product’s concept.”
However, since the advent of increased online orders and a dramatic reduction in in-store foot traffic, marketers need to learn how to adapt to the new online retail environment. Speaking to the audience during the recent virtual Mumbrella360: Reconnected event, Wang explained: “If we as marketers don’t change, we can’t help our consumers, we can’t reach them easier, we can’t engage them.”
“If we think about the traditional retailer, the brand and the consumer are very, very far apart,” she said. “Brands use marketing agencies to provide the marketing materials; that’s fine. But brands will also engage with the distributors to sell the products for retailers to sell to consumers.
“But now that everything’s online, people feel like ‘we’re fine, let’s just move everything online’, but it’s actually not as easy as that. We can’t be as inspired by the products that are on the online shelf.”
Access Corporate Group is an international brand management company with over 2,000 employees located in its global offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Hangzhou, China. Founded in 2017, the company has grown exponentially through operating and investing in premium brands, delivering its promise of ‘Everyday Better Life’ to consumers around the world.
The company operates as a complete brand management ecosystem with international premium brands, ABM ConsuMerchant™, VTN and closed loop supply chains as its cornerstones. With this integrated and unique approach, its brands have achieved an average annual sales growth of 200% over the past three years and continue to accelerate.
