Omnichannel Retail: shining a digital light on brick-and-mortar retail

The authors of Omnichannel Retail: How to Build Winning Stores in a Digital World have, between them, over 50 years’ experience of what it takes to win with customers.

Tim Mason is CEO of digital marketing technology solutions provider, Eagle Eye Solutions Group Plc. He has over 30 years’ experience within the grocery and retail industries. Previously, Tim was Deputy CEO at Tesco from 2010 to 2012. Throughout his career at Tesco, he was instrumental in the creation of some of Tesco’s most successful marketing initiatives (Clubcard, Express, Personal Finance and Tesco.com).

Miya Knights is Head of Industry Insight for Eagle Eye Solutions and has over 20 years’ experience as an enterprise retail technology journalist, editor and researcher. She recently also co-authored Amazon: How the World’s Most Relentless Retailer will Continue to Revolutionize Commerce. Formerly Global Technology Research Director at Planet Retail, and a Senior Research Analyst with IDC Retail Insights, she also owns and publishes RetailTechnology.co.uk.

Tim and I wrote Omnichannel Retail to help demystify some of the misconceptions about the future of loyalty and the role of stores in the optimal retail mix. Although many experts bemoan the growth of online shopping as the cause of the death of the High Street and the rise of an increasingly fickle shopper, we argue that digital trends present an opportunity, rather than a threat to retailers. So, the book provides a practical guide to digitalisation for driving more sales and repeat custom through both online and offline channels.
The book’s value is derived from its practical, no-nonsense approach to some of the biggest structural developments impacting the retail industry today, based on real-world experience, deep domain expertise and extensive primary and secondary research. It is a strategic manual for retailers, brands and customer-facing businesses, offering accessible expert recommendations on the value of connecting digitally with customers to drive sales – in brick-and-mortar stores, as well as online.

Tim and I have gained an immense amount from publishing the book – not least from helping to dispel some of the more apocalyptic myths about the future of retail, where what matters to consumers doesn’t really change. What changes is consumer’s ability and means to access what matter to them. This is why we’ve been so humbled by the positive interest and feedback our practical advice has generated, and which validates our thinking based on decades of experience spanning the evolution from pre-digital through to fully digital retail.