STORE 2017 EXCELLENCE IN RETAILING AWARDS ERA 2017: THE BEST OF CANADIAN RETAIL COMPILED BY ROBERT PRICE THE Excellence in Retailing Awards showcases the best in Canadian retail over the past year. The industry advances when innovative retailers find new ways to solve old problems and deliver the high-quality of service busy customers want. Each of this year's award-winners represent the best in retail innovation. E - CO M M E R C E E X P E R I E N C E Mark's winning digital experience AWA R D WI N N ER MARK'S set itself an ambitious target: to be the premier Canadian destination for casual wear and footwear. One step to hitting that target was the creation of a new website to deliver an enhanced brand experience for consumers. The revamped digital offering improved the customer experience by delivering a responsive design. Customers find shopping online easier and quicker thanks to a revamped digital platform that is, in essence, a digital version of visiting a Mark's store or L'Équipeur location in Quebec. The sparkling new digital platform is driving improved online and in-store sales. Together, the synergy between digital and physical retail is helping Mark's fulfill one of its brand missions: to make the Canadian Tire Corporation family of companies a top-of-mind destination for Canadians. "Mark's embodies a culture of winning," says Johnny Russo, Associate Vice President, Digital Marketing & Ecommerce at Mark's. Capturing the E-commerce Experience award at the Excellence in Retailing Awards indicates the level of success Mark's has achieved in its digital trans- Mark's website enhancing brand experience formation. "RCC'S Excellence in Retailing Awards provides a certain validation that we are on the right track, and that bodes really well for AWA R D S P O N SO R the plans we've put in place. An award of this kind is a great accomplishment that our entire marketing team is proud of." 34 | CANADIAN RETAILER | THE LOSS PREVENTION ISSUE