--- title: 6 Secrets of Integrating Inbound Marketing with Retail Strategy [Checklist] description: Discover 6 secrets to integrating Inbound Marketing to your Retail Strategy to lower the cost of customer acquisition and increase sales and profit image: https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hs-fs/file-400729534-png/images/earth_400_clr_11599.png --- ![Integrated Inbound Marketing and Retail Strategy](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hs-fs/file-400729534-png/images/earth_400_clr_11599.png) # 6 Secrets of Integrating Inbound Marketing with Retail Strategy [Checklist] Table of Contents ## ***Consumers Have More Choice Than Ever*** *In fact, in a recent 2016 study by E2Open, "Forecasting [Benchmark](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/how-do-sap-partner-websites-rank-benchmark-report) Study", it was revealed that the number of choices in most product categories increased by 31% since 2010!  * ***"***[***Eppur si muove***](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/10-shortcuts-to-mastering-multi-channel-marketing)", or "And Yet It Moves", reportedly uttered by Galileo Galilei, might well apply to today's [Retailers](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-build-a-sap-sem-bps-retail-industry-value-case), who, when confronted with consumers who are more empowered than ever, continue to insist on a **Retail Marketing [Strategy](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/unleashing-business-success-balanced-scorecard-strategy)** based on an environment long since past.   ## Retail Marketing Strategies   Discover[ 6 secrets](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/10-ways-internet-marketing-reveals-inventory-problems) to [integrating Inbound Marketing](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/42-essential-hubspot-integrations-b2b-marketers-need-to-start-using) to your Retail [Marketing Strategy](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/how-to-develop-your-inbound-marketing-strategy-assessment-tool) to lower the cost of customer acquisition and [increase sales and profit](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/sap-partner-website-ranking-inbound-marketing-benchmark-report).  ![Retail is Always Changing](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hs-fs/file-400729534-png/images/earth_400_clr_11599.png?width=700&name=earth_400_clr_11599.png "Retail is Always Changing")   **As the World Turns, the Retail Landscape Changes**   ## Facing Up to the Retail Marketing Challenges   Whether you run a [single retail store](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/learn-why-we-use-inbound-marketing) or a major retail business with thousands of retail stores, if you're one of today's retailers, whether in the ***relatively*** [healthy market](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-leverage-sap-bw-in-a-multi-channel-marketing-campaign) of the U.S. or the [depressed markets of Southern Europe](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/10-tips-for-airline-s-to-leverage-inbound-marketing), where, for example, retail sales have declined month-in and month-out for more than 3 years, you're [are confronted with](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/3-powerful-techniques-for-increasing-your-inbound-sales) one fundamental question that seemingly defies an answer:  Are consumers not buying or just not buying from them?   ## Consumers Are Apparently Very Hard to Please   *In the same E2Open study, which was based on annual consumer goods sales of over $250 billion dollars by 17 multi-national companies involving 1 million SKUs (Stock Keeping Units), it was revealed that only one out of 1000 items introduced into the supply chain actually [becomes a top seller](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/speaking-at-the-fame-and-profit-summit-2022), while the rest are either discontinued or fall to the bottom of the sales charts.*   If you’re a retailer, whether a [specialty brand type retailer or a big box retailer](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/knowing-what-you-sell-the-key-to-dominating-your-market) who specializes in **“Stack-em Deep and Sell-em Cheap”**, you know the consumer is out there, but you really, really need to know how to get them **‘in here’**.   ## Use [Inbound Marketing](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/get-the-ultimate-guide-to-hiring-an-inbound-marketing-agency) to [Reach Target Customers](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/get-your-lead-generation-effectiveness-scorecard)   That's why it's time you learned a few [Inbound Marketing Secrets](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/attract-convert-close-delight-inbound-marketing-strategy) I am going to share with you today that I've learned running a [Hubspot Certified Inbound Marketing Agency](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/skyrocket-your-sales-with-a-reliable-inbound-marketing-agency).   ## Customer Loyalty is Your Key to Success   In the past, it was ok to have a fairly distant [relationship with your customer](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/inbound-marketing-services/hubspot-crm-implementation-services).    ### No more! Some retailers have a lot of data about their customers, for example, [one of the](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/inbound-marketing/unifying-your-sales-and-marketing-efforts) leading retailers in Spain reportedly has more than 6,500,000 customer records, (while Spain has a population of +_45,000,000), and is able to provide [targeted offerings](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/59-b2b-lead-generation-ideas-to-steal-tips-to-drive-more-sales-leads) to each and everyone contact in that database, especially via social media.  H[owever, it, too](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/3-multi-channel-marketing-lessons-learned-catching-the-big-one), has suffered from a constant loss of sales, either due to a drop in demand (raising the question of whether they're just not buying) or from online competitors (or just not buying from them).   The question, though, is how to **integrate [Inbound Marketing Concepts](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/inbound-marketing/how-to-run-an-inbound-marketing-campaign-checklist) with your Retail Strategy**.    It helps to review the three primary tasks of your [inbound marketing system](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/what-is-inbound-sales-in-a-unified-sales-and-marketing-system): ![Inbound Marketing](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hs-fs/file-403887026-gif/images/three_intersecting_arrow_circles_anim_150_clr_11875.gif)**The Three Pillars of Inbound Marketing**   - Get Found - Convert - Analyze   Let’s explore how each of these has to be modified to ensure your **Retail Marketing Strategy** is fully integrated with the concept of [**Inbound Marketing**](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/5-must-know-tips-to-strengthen-your-marketing-strategy-development):   - Retailers, of course, **get found** by consumers going to their store.  But in the **Inbound World**, consumers are researching products [online, and](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/learn-how-to-land-big-customers-using-multi-channel-marketing) then either buying them online or going to a retail outlet to buy them.  *Google reports that they process approximately 3,500,000,000 (3.5 Billion) searches a day.* For the retailer, this ultimately means investing in [SEO](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/8-tips-for-successful-online-seo-class-setup), primarily via the use of [keywords](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/pillar-content-strategy-guide-seo-serp) related to the products in [the store](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/how-i-learned-to-sell-like-a-lion-king), such as a Washer and Dryer or some other sort of consumable.  A typical Big Box retailer may have 35,000 to 40,000  SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) and will need to leverage all available mechanisms to [create valuable content](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/12-sap-crm-content-management-system-requirements) for consumers to find and [consume](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/22-critical-lessons-learned-for-conducting-pre-sales-demos). - Consumers also are using [**social media**](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/three-ways-social-media-marketing-is-changing-the-way-we-shop) to **research products and services prior to purchasing**.  As in the bricks’n’mortar world, consumers rely heavily on what others have to say about a product. Products without reviews on [Amazon](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/amazon-consulting-amazon-ads-management-e-commerce) have virtually zero chance of garnering a sale. Real, actionable information based on objective measurement in these channels is still a largely unexplored avenue though there is an abundance of [data available](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/how-to-use-social-media-to-your-advantage-in-your-business), using systems like SAP for Retail Industry solutions.  Think 'Big Data' and the Internet of Things or IoT. - **Consumers actually do read emails**, otherwise, why would anybody bother to generate the 838 billion of them generated annually ([Forrester](http://www.forrester.com/US+Email+Marketing+Volume+Forecast+2008+To+2013/fulltext/-/E-RES43542))?  The [goal](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/free-online-sales-and-inbound-marketing-calculator-determine-website-traffic-and-sales-goals) of a retailer, within the context of [Inbound Marketing](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/discover-12-secrets-to-building-an-inbound-marketing-website), is to create short, useful emails, which either provide additional **offers** or **useful How-To** information for the consumer or to provide **entertainment**. For instance, pet owners might greatly appreciate annual reminders of their pet's required [medical checks](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/is-inbound-marketing-right-for-your-business) along with a discount coupon.  However, the dog may not like to go to the vet *(they’re smarter than the look)*. ![Retail Strategy](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hs-fs/file-403877281-gif/images/dog_running_150_clr_12402.gif)**Somehow, they always know when you're taking them to the vet. ** - **How-to videos can also be highly useful to the consumer.**  Notice I did not say 'to the retailer'.  [The point](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/learn-7-key-approaches-to-developing-buyer-personas) with any of the content suggestions here is how to **be [useful to the consumer](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/how-to-create-a-successful-blog-strategy-a-step-by-step-guide)**, who makes the most important decision in the world-to buy.  Videos don’t have to be a Hollywood affair to be effective.  In fact, there are more than enough studies out there that show short, simple, authentic **How To videos** are as effective as highly polished finished affairs.  However, Retailers may want to work with their suppliers to see if they can leverage work done by [the brands](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/10-dangerous-outcomes-of-inbound-marketing) to provide the appropriate content, as long as you can tie it back to your original keyword research and make it useful and evergreen. Keep in mind, video SEO requires much more than just posting a video on YouTube.  From a [Google](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/how-to-use-google-keyword-planner-tool-tutorial) perspective a [YouTube video](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/youtube-seo-vs-google-seo-key-differences-and-strategies) on your website is actually better for YouTube than [your own SERP](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/3-multi-platform-marketing-resolutions-to-kick-off-the-new-year) results.  For this reason, we recommend you use Wistia, a video hosting platform that helps your own site benefit from your video. - **Lower cost of customer acquisition**.  With the improvement in the ability of the CMO to measure and improve the [cost of customer acquisition](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/how-to-use-hubspot-prospects-and-linkedin-sales-strategy), and the widespread deployment [ERP](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/learn-what-SAP-erp-is-using-our-mindmap) systems, such as SAP IS Retail, which allow you to create a tremendously powerful datawarehouse, the CMO can now do more than simply create pivot tables.  He can bring in data from the [Inbound Marketing platform](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/inbound-marketing-assessment-scorecard) directly into the datawarehouse and do [analysis in real-time](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/sap-hana-margin-analysis) of what is working and what is not. With an [Inbound Marketing platform such as Hubspot](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hubspot-consultant), you can literally attribute the dollar value to every click on every channel.   - **Improve Inventory Accuracy and [Campaign Integration](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hubspot-integrations-sales-sap-chat).** For many retailers, their pre-online inventory strategy was based on "knowing Less".  Translated, this meant they bought an assortment pack, of say short sleeve shirts, and let the manufacturer decide what the mix should be with regards to size and color and quantity.  E-Commerce, of course, depends on absolutely accurate inventory information in order to be able to tell a customer whether a product is available and when they can expect it.  So if you are currently at 98% inventory accuracy, across ALL of your supply chain, not just on the store floor, you are only average!  Your customers are expecting [Amazon class customer service](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/how-to-develop-your-amazon-marketing-strategy) from order-to-delivery to post purchase feedback.  They are expecting their in store experience, which cost them money to consume, to be superior to what they could get by just going online and ordering it. For example, many products and services require a sales associate to have very in-depth product knowledge.  The customer experience can be dramatically affected by slow in store service, inattentive sales people unable to provide quick tips to consumers in the moment and many other factors. ## Many Retail Strategies to Be Mastered   There are, of course, many, many other techniques and methods that a retailer must master and follow to compete effectively in this new Inbound World.  You might want to download our checklist, **"Integrate Inbound Marketing with Retail [Strategy](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/understanding-the-difference-between-value-model-and-value-case)"** which covers all the relevant subjects you will need to address in order to [increase sales](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hubspot-crm-implementation-sales-enablement), improve profit margins and reduce customer acquisition cost using Inbound Marketing.  [![Download Integrate Inbound Marketing and Retail Strategy Checklist](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/118735/ac7a649c-dd0f-4bd6-9bac-e77bc35e1967.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/118735/ac7a649c-dd0f-4bd6-9bac-e77bc35e1967)   People Who Read This Also Read: [Build A SEM BPS Retail Industry Value Case](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/build-a-sem-bps-retail-industry-value-case) [How To Use SAP BW To Prevent Retail Losses](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/how-to-use-sap-bw-to-prevent-retail-losses) [Why 10,000 Retailers Using SAP Need Inbound Now](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/why-10000-retailers-using-sap-need-inbound-now) [Discover How To Integrate Inbound Marketing With Your Retail Strategy](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/discover-how-to-integrate-inbound-marketing-with-your-retail-strategy) [Hire This SAP BW Consultant](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hire-sap-bw-consultant-profiles-cv)    Topics from this blog: [Inbound Marketing](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/topic/inbound-marketing) [Inventory Management](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/topic/inventory-management) [Retail Strategy](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/topic/retail-strategy) ### Download SAP BW Mindmap Learn what SAP Business Warehouse is and what it does in under five minutes [![Get this Mindmap](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/118735/8db2ad37-8211-47a3-86ae-09b6b2bb297b.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/118735/8db2ad37-8211-47a3-86ae-09b6b2bb297b) [mailto:someone@yoursite.com](mailto:someone@yoursite.com) ### Lonnie D. Ayers, PMP About the Author: Lonnie Ayers is a Hubspot Certified Inbound Marketing consultant, with additional certifications in Hubspot Content Optimization, Hubspot Contextual Marketing, and is a Hubspot Certified Partner. Specialized in demand generation and sales execution, especially in the SAP, Oracle and Microsoft Partner space, he has unique insight into the tough challenges Service Providers face with generating leads and closing sales using the latest digital tools. With 15 years of SAP Program Management experience, and dozens of complex sales engagements under his belt, he helps partners develop and communicate their unique sales proposition. Frequently sought as a public speaker in various events, he is available for both inhouse engagements and ** remote coaching. ** ![Balanced Scorecard Consultant](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hubfs/social-suggested-images/Balanced%20Scorecard%20Certified%20Graduate.jpg) He also recently released a book **"How to Dominate Any Market - Turbocharging Your Digital Marketing and Sales Results",** which is available on [ Amazon.](https://www.amazon.com/Dominate-Turbocharging-Digital-Marketing-Results/dp/1728357950/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1589182458&refinements=p_27%3ALonnie+D.+Ayers&s=books&sr=1-1&text=Lonnie+D.+Ayers)**** [View All Articles by Lonnie D. Ayers, PMP](https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/author/lonnie-d-ayers-pmp) ## The SAP Blog Subscribe to our blog and receive SAP BW Updates, demand generation, inbound marketing, sales enablement, technology and revenue generation insights and ideas delivered right to your email. [mailto:someone@yoursite.com](mailto:someone@yoursite.com) ![SAP](https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/viewthroughconversion/960101754/?value=0&guid=ON&script=0) ![](https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=199270410761059&ev=PageView&noscript=1) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Lonnie D. Ayers, PMP", "url" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/author/lonnie-d-ayers-pmp" }, "dateModified" : "2026-01-14T12:33:13.289Z", "datePublished" : "2013-12-08T21:30:00.000Z", "headline" : "6 Secrets of Integrating Inbound Marketing with Retail Strategy [Checklist]", "image" : [ "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hs-fs/file-400729534-png/images/earth_400_clr_11599.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/6-secrets-of-integrating-inbound-marketing-with-retail-strategy", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hs-fs/sapbwconsulting_logo.jpg" }, "name" : "SAP BW Consulting, Inc." } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com#website", "@type" : "WebSite", "name" : "SAP BW Consulting, Inc.", "publisher" : { "@id" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com#organization" }, "url" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com#organization", "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@id" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com#logo" }, "name" : "SAP BW Consulting, Inc.", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.linkedin.com/company/543163/admin/", "https://www.youtube.com/user/SAPBWConsulting/", "https://twitter.com/Lonniea39", "https://www.facebook.com/SAPBWConsulting" ], "url" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com#logo", "@type" : "ImageObject", "caption" : "SAP BW Consulting, Inc. logo", "url" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/hs-fs/hubfs/sapbw-consulting.png" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/about-lonnie-ayers#person", "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Lonnie D. Ayers, PMP", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.linkedin.com/in/lonnieayers" ], "url" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/about-lonnie-ayers", "worksFor" : { "@id" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com#organization" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/6-secrets-of-integrating-inbound-marketing-with-retail-strategy", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "about" : [ { "@type" : "Thing", "name" : "Inbound marketing", "sameAs" : "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inbound_marketing" }, { "@type" : "Thing", "name" : "Retail", "sameAs" : "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retail" }, { "@type" : "Thing", "name" : "Marketing", "sameAs" : "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketing" } ], "author" : { "@id" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/about-lonnie-ayers#person" }, "dateModified" : "2024-01-15", "datePublished" : "2024-01-15", "description" : "Explore practical ways to integrate inbound marketing with retail strategy to improve customer acquisition, merchandising performance, and profitability.", "headline" : "6 Secrets of Integrating Inbound Marketing with Retail Strategy", "inLanguage" : "en-US", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/6-secrets-of-integrating-inbound-marketing-with-retail-strategy" }, "mentions" : [ { "@type" : "Thing", "name" : "Customer", "sameAs" : "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customer" }, { "@type" : "Thing", "name" : "Profit", "sameAs" : "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profit_(accounting)" } ], "name" : "6 Secrets of Integrating Inbound Marketing with Retail Strategy", "potentialAction" : { "@type" : "ViewAction", "name" : "Download Integrate Inbound Marketing and Retail Strategy Checklist", "target" : { "@type" : "EntryPoint", "actionPlatform" : [ "http://schema.org/DesktopWebPlatform", "http://schema.org/MobileWebPlatform" ], "inLanguage" : "en-US", "urlTemplate" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/integrate-inbound-marketing-strategy-retail-strategy" } }, "publisher" : { "@id" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com#organization" }, "url" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/6-secrets-of-integrating-inbound-marketing-with-retail-strategy" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/6-secrets-of-integrating-inbound-marketing-with-retail-strategy#breadcrumbs", "@type" : "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement" : [ { "@type" : "ListItem", "item" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com", "name" : "Home", "position" : 1 }, { "@type" : "ListItem", "item" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing", "name" : "Inbound Marketing Blog", "position" : 2 }, { "@type" : "ListItem", "item" : "https://www.sapbwconsulting.com/blog/inbound-marketing/6-secrets-of-integrating-inbound-marketing-with-retail-strategy", "name" : "6 Secrets of Integrating Inbound Marketing with Retail Strategy", "position" : 3 } ] } ```