The 6 I's of Marketing

In 1999, McDonald and Wilson created a framework of the ‘6 I’s of Marketing’, which essentially outline the practical benefits of digital marketing by analysing the following six elements;

• Interactivity

• Intelligence

• Individualisation

• Integration

• Industry restructuring

• Independence of location

In the following analysis of the high performance women’s active wear fashion website, Lorna Jane, I will further explain some of these 6 elements in detail with practical examples.

Figure 1: Lorna Jane homepage.

Interactivity

The process of interactivity on an e-commerce based website will usually involve inbound marketing, where the customer will initially seek out information based on their needs, via search engine, email marketing or social media marketing.

Figure 2

As seen above, the bottom of every page on the website includes links for consumer to make connections with customer service, which encourages two-way communication, product information and a link to locate retail stores. To increase interactivity, consumers are also invited to download the Lorna Jane App and sign up to the ‘sisterhood’ for email subscriptions, where users are notified of new promotions, sales, and current stock. Social media links to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and Youtube are also present for consumers to access for further information, photos and promotions. Overall, Lorna Jane uses high-intensity marketing and interactivity online to catch the attention of every individual who is visiting the website.

Intelligence

Intelligence and depth of information can be gathered using digital media and technology to collect data on customers that visit the website and individuals making purchases.

Figure 3

In figure 3, the ‘Register’ form allows consumers to create an account with Lorna Jane, which tracks purchases and allows them to make a ‘Wish list’. This is an easy, low-cost method used by the company to gather market research on their consumers and predict which items will be more/less popular according to their current customer base. Users also have the option of creating an account using Facebook, which also collates a range of data from personal profiles.

Individualisation

Furthermore from previous analysis of the use of intelligence, individualisation involves utilising the data from the low-cost market research in creating user accounts, to then tailor personalised communications to the consumer to achieve relevance (Chaffey & Chadwick 2016). For example, as seen in the figure below, when the customer has signed into their Lorna Jane account, their name will appear at the top of the screen.

Figure 4

Integration

Integration involves the analysis of how other channels of communication are utilised by the company to provide more information to consumers if they require it, and using this service to retain existing customers. Inbound Internet-based communications occur when the customer seeks information from the organisation, an example can be seen below.

Figure 5

The website provides the ‘Active Stylist Chat’ feature, where consumers can reach out to a stylist online and ask questions and advice. The stylist can assist with finding new styles, creating outfits, and answering any questions the customer may have. This feature can be extremely useful for many consumers who may need the help they would normally receive in a retail store, and will most likely appeal to most people as a service.

Independence of location

E-commerce has allowed the possibility for businesses to reach a new global market, an opportunity, which was not present before the emergence of the Internet. Lorna Jane offers international shipping to all customers, and includes more information on their FAQs page.

Figure 6

References

Chaffey,D. Ellis-Chadwick, F., Digital Marketing 6th edition, Pearson 2016.

www.lornajane.com.au

#marketing #6IsofMarketing #Independenceoflocation #Integration #Individualisation #Intelligence #Interactivity