PALM SPRINGS, CA ? A Staples executive at the Mobile Shopping Summit 2016 explained how the office supply chain is able to keep up positive brand sentiment by making sure its prices are the most competitive through artificial intelligence. 

During the panel, ?The Rise of Conversational Commerce To Assist Pre & Post Purchase,? the executive explained that his hopes for Staples is to be on every possible platform. The more ways to interact with consumers the better, and its solution to track price drops from competitors allows it to create solid bonds with consumers to keep them returning. 

While Staples has a large business-to-consumer sector its business-to-business is even larger. The B2B portion of its business allows Staples to see return customers that frequent its business, but it is important to make sure the customer wants to keep returning. 

For the top tier Staples customer, the retailer automatically credits his or her account as soon as a lower price from a competitor is detected. Staples leverages a bot that monitors prices from competitors to make sure it has the lowest price. 

Hoping to gain a better understanding of mobile advertising?s impact on sales, Staples recently delivered a one-two punch of interactive brand-focused ads followed by direct response messaging, driving a four-times higher return on investment compared to an interactive ad alone.

Staples worked with Carat on a program targeting small business owners, with 83 percent of the media spend going to mobile. While the first ad introduced viewers to the wide range of offerings available at Staples with an interactive game and calculator, it was the retargeted direct message that was responsible for a higher percentage of revenue, at 77 percent (see more). 

Mobile also played a big role in a omnichannel push from Staples in the past, including the retailer?s first iPad application and the ability to purchase online and pick up in-store.  

The offerings were intended to make it easier for customers to shop however and wherever they want, something more retailers are focusing on as mobile shopping continues to grow. For Staples? important business customer base, omnichannel experiences are particularly important as these customers are often on the go and do not want to delay shopping until they are in front of a desktop (see more).