Canadian Retailer - The Technology & e-Commerce Issue - 41

and provide tracking so that we can sell across the
country and the globe?" Whereas larger retailers
were saying, "Our store traffic is down, people are
shopping online from global websites-how can
you help us so that we can also play and compete
in this marketplace?"
For us, it was a matter of our future. And the only
way we could reinvent ourselves was by talking to
businesses of all sizes to understand their painpoints and the disruption they were facing, and
help them win.
CR: Can you elaborate on one of the ways retailers
benefit from working with Canada Post?
DC: The process of a store clerk handing the customer a beautiful bag after completing a sale has
now moved to the final mile. On winning the online space, retailers typically focus on price, positioning, website experience, mobile, etc. But invariably, 90 per cent of them never think about the
moment of truth-when the parcel is delivered. Yet,
I think the final mile has the highest opportunity to
delight or annoy the customer.
Forty per cent of Canadians are not home during the day to receive their parcel, which can mean
they'll find a door knocker that says we missed your
delivery. If you have to go out of your way and drive
to the other side of town to retrieve that parcel, then
the entire mail-moment is destroyed. That magic
moment of your parcel arriving ... it's just gone.
This is where Canada Post has amazing strengths.
We have the largest retail network, so people don't
have to go far to pick up their parcels. We also have
access to alternate delivery methods, such as parcel lockers, enabling customer choice. Through our
FlexDelivery, people can designate at checkout any
of our post offices as their delivery address.
We knew we could offer retailers a competitive advantage because we can preserve the excitement of
the mail moment in a way that none of our competitors can. And so, that's where we felt we needed to
educate retailers the most, that by working with us
they can complete that magical experience.
CR: Let's talk about your other line of business. In
the midst of the digital revolution, you doubled
down on direct mail. Why?

We educate a lot of companies on how to do DM
in the digital age. How to time it, how to integrate
it with other channels, how to target and optimize
design. The companies that do these well, can
achieve immense returns.
CR: Speaking of competition... let's talk about
Amazon. Can Canada's small and medium-sized
businesses possibly compete?
DC: Absolutely. We are entering the age of micromultinationals and micro-brands, where consumers are drawn to products that are personalized.
These brands are creating experiences, which extend well before and after the purchase. Smaller
brands have so much more flexibility to do this.
But, there is also a wonderful opportunity to
leverage Amazon as a platform, or any of the big
platforms like Shopify, eBay or Magento. The trick
is to use the best of both worlds, to create a great
product and a great experience and then use a platform that does great fulfillment. You need to marry
the two sides. The companies that can do that will
be best positioned to succeed.

"WE KNEW WE COULD OFFER RETAILERS
A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE BECAUSE WE
CAN PRESERVE THE EXCITEMENT OF THE
MAIL MOMENT IN A WAY THAT NONE OF
OUR COMPETITORS CAN."
CR: Now that we know Canadian retailers are embracing e-commerce, what do you think are the challenges that lie ahead? Do you have any advice?
DC: I think the focus will become how do we as
an industry keep pace with the growth of online
shopping, while still meeting high customer expectations. That's one. The other is we need to remember that we are just one disruptor away from
becoming obsolete. No matter what area of online
retail you're in, from delivery to logistics to sales,
you have to be aware that the next big disruptor is
just around the corner.
For more information concerning the ways Canada
Post can help your business, visit www.canadapost.ca.

DC: Because it works. And it works not in spite of
the digital age, but because of it. Our data tools help
us target it better, and with the rise of digital clutter,
an item received in the mail actually stands out. It
can drive traffic to both your physical and digital
store like no other channel-if you do it right.

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THE TECHNOLOGY & E-COMMERCE ISSUE

| CANADIAN RETAILER | 41

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Retailer - The Technology & e-Commerce Issue