4 key criteria to build a winning customer experience in retail
As a retail company you have to have a lot in store to keep your customers happy or bring new customers in. Consumers are more demanding and show less patience in the fulfillment of their requests. But when you get your customer experience right, the rewards are very stimulating; 89% of customers are likely to make another purchase after a positive customer experience.
Based on market insights and experience we defined 4 criteria which together form a winning customer experience for retail companies.
- Easy
We know based on research, 65% of customers have switched brands because of poor customer experience. On the positive side, over 9 out of 10 of customers are more likely to make another purchase at a company after a positive experience. So it’s rewarding to deliver on the positive CX ambition. The catchphrase ‘convenience is the new loyalty’ really comes into play here. While better pricing and product quality are the primary drivers of brand defection, additional factors such as improved customer service, product availability, and convenience lure consumers away (or bring new customers in when done right).
- Fast
With the ever increasing number of online purchases, our expectations have grown on efficient selection of products, direct purchase options and rapid delivery. Although fast delivery of products can be important, it’s less important in building the distinctive character of a company. Fast and easy selection of products and the ability to order hassle-free is what consumers value. So having a big product range is nice, but offering a recommendation and product selection based on customer input is more valuable.
- Personalized
Consumers expect brands to demonstrate they know them on a personal level. To get mass personalization right, data is key in delivering it. The integration of sales, marketing and service data is essential to create a reliable ‘personalized’ customer view. Almost 80% of consumers are more likely to purchase again from a company that uses personalisation and the same amount is more likely to refer friends and family to your company.
- Connected
A great customer experience is more than a collection of individual touchpoints, Customers expect all interactions with an organization to easily come together. 8 out of 10 consumers state they're more loyal to companies that provide consistency across departments. We see there is a lot of room for improvement there, because especially when extra customer service is needed, 2 out of 3 customers have to repeat or re-explain information to different representatives which is annoying and inefficient.
Example cases easy, fast, personalized and connected:
We are happy to collaborate with several leading retail companies in their quest to grow their business and improve customer and employee satisfaction experience. Do you want to know how they put the above into practice? Please read the case from de Bijenkorf and Beter Bed.
- De Bijenkorf as a leading luxury department store is an example of how to deliver better and faster customer service using data, AI and human attention.
- Beter Bed is a frontrunner to transform itself from a classic retailer to future-proof E-commerce organisation.
Research sources:
- ‘State of the connected customer’ 5th edition
- ‘Next in Personalization 2021 Report’
