It is universally recognised that consumers’ shopping habits have changed so much that the internet has become the preferred channel of shopping for many. Since the founding of the internet the number of online shoppers has grown year on year. Recently, this growth has not only continued but accelerated as mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, have allowed people to shop online wherever and whenever they fancy with just a few taps of their touchscreens. A new generation of consumers has emerged who have no experience of doing anything without some element of digital interaction playing a key role, whether that is shopping, watching videos with services like Netflix, or listening to music through the likes of Spotify. It is this new generation of “digital natives” that is causing retailers to realign their businesses to ensure they are integrating with digital to meet consumer demand.
Even so, bricks-and-mortar retailers who came of age and found success in the pre-digital era are finding it difficult to adapt to this new and unprecedented technology driven age. Whilst many have adopted an omnichannel approach, creating websites and mobile apps to allow shoppers to purchase goods on the go, many have struggled to compete with the ‘pure-play’ internet retailers who are increasingly dominating the market.
According to a recent survey from Wipro Digital, 71% of UK consumers did over half of their Christmas shopping online. The reasons cited boiled down to: greater convenience – they were able to shop when and where they wanted, unrestricted by opening hours or other life commitments; more competitive pricing – with goods often offered at a lower price than if they had gone directly to the brand or manufacturer; and better experience – be that from online user interface or targeted suggestions for those unsure of what they wanted to purchase.
This makes worrying reading for omnichannel, or pure bricks-and-mortar, retailers. However, the research also found that a third of consumers continue to research products in-store, suggesting that the face-to-face store experience is still a valued part of the shopping experience. It is here, that omnichannel retailers and bricks-and-mortar retailers can begin to win back ground against internet pure-plays.
A key roadblock is omnichannel and bricks-and-mortar retailers find it difficult to offer a consistent experience across the various channels they have at their disposal. For today’s entitled and informed digital consumer, who moves effortlessly around and across these channels, this inconsistency is unsatisfactory.
Not surprisingly, the third of those surveyed who said that they chose to research products in store do so because of the physical in-store and product experience. In order to attract more consumers back to the store omnichannel retailers need to take advantage of the consumers’ desire for an in-store experience and marry it with the digital technologies they are now so accustomed to.
To begin with, focusing on understanding every step of the customer journey is critically important. This means providing a consistent and relevant experience every time the consumer interacts with the brand, irrespective of the channel or platform. By engineering the customer journey in line with customer needs and incorporating all touch points, whether the initial interaction was online or in store, omnichannel retailers can be sure that they are providing a superior experience, thereby building brand loyalty amongst consumers.
This can include unique offers that are only available in-store, but then redeemable online at a later date should a purchase not wish to be made on that day; click and collect, already used in many larger stores, can also offer an added customer service as it removes the hassle of returns should a product not be suitable when received. What is important is that the needs of the customer are met at every turn, and technology can be used to make this easier.
In order for traditional retailers to fully implement customer journey engineering, they must get rid of siloed thinking and organisational structures that prevent seamless customer experiences. While the chief marketing officer is still ultimately responsible for brand experience, companies must be able to assemble multi-disciplinary teams that can look to all of the options now open to retailers to capture consumer interest, deliver on expectations and ultimately create brand loyalty amongst customers. This could incorporate elements of mobile, social media, and in-store design to provide a shopping experience that aligns with customer wants and needs. These teams need to collaborate, design and iterate customer journey experiments in a quick and cost effective manner to create the best solutions. Engineering customer journeys in this way can result in launching new products and services in months if not weeks and help omnichannel retailers take back market share from their pure-play competitors.
By Avinash Rao, Global Head at Wipro Digital.
PrivSec Conferences will bring together leading speakers and experts from privacy and security to deliver compelling content via solo presentations, panel discussions, debates, roundtables and workshops.
For more information on upcoming events, visit the website.
comments powered by Disqus