A business framework for the Omnichannel era: The Customer Machine.

Porter's Value-Chain - 1985 (wikipedia)

In 1985, Michael Porter popularized the now-famous concept of a business "value-chain".  This quickly became the 'go to' framework for strategic planning, org design, and process improvement.  The term has since contributed to the development of revolutionary approaches to process improvement including value stream mapping and 'lean' methodology.   Quite extraordinary really.  Again, 1985....

Ok great. But...

Macy's 2012 annual report released. "Omnichannel" mentioned 30 times!

Macy's recently released their 2012 Annual Report.  What's most exciting is *not* the double digit Earnings Per Share (EPS) growth that we've now come to expect from them; nor is it the exceptional performance in same store sales, up 3.7% vs. the 3.5% expectation.  It's not the 10% increase in operating income; nor is it the increase in online sales of 41% (although this is quite exceptional!)  What's most exciting to me, is how committed Macy's is to the notion of building an "omnichannel culture."

For starters, they just announced the appointment of their first ever (and perhaps the industry's first ever) Chief Omnichannel Officer (COO), Robert B. Harrison.

Karim Hemani, on "Omnichannel Strategy" @ eTail Canada, April 29 - 4:30pm

Here's a quick preview:

Omni-channel Outcomes vs. Multi-channel Outputs. Let's Talk Outcomes.

Rest assured, the last decade wasn’t a wasted effort. Your multi-channel presence is the foundation for building a comprehensive, customer-centric, brand & technology strategy. Join Karim Hemani, former eCommerce & Channel Integration executive at Sears Canada, as he shares his perspectives on how to construct and execute an outcome-driven Omni-channel Strategy.

- What’s the difference between Omni- and Multi- Channel?
- The challenges aren’t unique, but the solutions can be
- Defining outcomes vs. outputs in your media strategy
- If content is the heart, IT is the backbone
- The role of Chief Omnichannel Officer

Link to Agenda Day 1:
http://www.wbresearch.com/etailcanada/dayone.aspx (4:30pm, Track B)