Myer set for marketing overhaul, while department store trade flatlines

Myer is on a mission to revamp its marketing strategy, announcing it is on the hunt for a new creative agency to take it into the digital future.

The retail giant has declared it is under “transformational” change. Myer group general manager marketing and brand development Megan Foster said the move is in response to new customer preferences and technology.

Myer’s current creative agency is Badjar Ogilvy.

“We are adapting our marketing, changing our channel mix, and moving to an in-house digital model,” she said in a statement. “A review of our creative agency is also appropriate as part of this process.”

Myer general manager corporate affairs Jo Lynch told SmartCompany this morning that despite having a greater focus on digital marketing, the company still sees value in outdoor advertising, traditional press, television and catalogues.

Lynch says that communicating with the company’s five million Myer One loyalty members would be integral to the new marketing approach.

“Our Myer One members are responsible for 70% of our sales,” she says. “It offers incredibly rich data and it drives our decisions on store layouts and brand adjacency (and more).”

Social media will continue to play an increasing role in the communication strategy, Lynch says.

“Social media is about listening to our customers.”

The news of the creative agency tender comes as ABS retail trade figures for June 2013 show that Australian retail turnover was relatively unchanged (0.0 %), seasonally adjusted, following a rise of 0.2% in May 2013.

Department store trade was flat for the month, at 0% growth. Turnover was up 0.9% in cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services, up 0.3% in household goods and up 0.1% in food retailing. Clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing was down 0.2%.