What marketing strategies should online retailers employ to succeed in the post-e-commerce era? E-commerce businesses should take advantage of a variety of innovations as technology continues to advance. In order to achieve long-term success, they can use technology to build the most comprehensive customer experience strategy feasible. Don’t overlook the value of customer experience; it’s more effective than advertising and long-term investment! Worry not, as this article will go over each of the key points for improving customer experience.
Importance of Enhancing Customer Experience
Customer experience takes priority over advertising.
Most consumers value services that can give a better customer experience over other factors such as performance and convenience. 63% of customers are willing to share personal information with brands that can improve their experience. This information can be used by brands for planning and analysis. Moreover, based on the intentions of customers, brands can design services that are more in line with consumer preferences.
A favorable experience, according to 73% of customers, can considerably boost their buy intention. However, only 49% of consumers believe that existing organizations can deliver high-quality customer service, demonstrating the paucity of online customer service. Improving the customer experience can boost the average transaction value in addition to increasing the number of orders. Customers are willing to pay more for a positive customer experience, according to 42% of survey respondents. An excellent customer experience, on the other hand, is thought to be more effective than advertising by 65% of respondents.
New Work Mode
Customers can be profitable, and employees can provide a higher-quality customer experience. Friction between customers and employees can be lessened by enhancing employee satisfaction at work. This improves the customer experience and increases brand loyalty. It is also vital to adjust the working mode and create a more comprehensive and individualized purchasing experience to improve employee service quality.
In addition to enhancing technological advancements, it is vital to boost brand intimacy and the relationship between customers and salespeople. Technology, on the other hand, not only helps your customers have a better purchasing experience. Somewhat more, it makes things easier for your employees. Customer experience is at the heart of offering efficient, convenient, and friendly service to your consumers.
How can online stores use technology to enhance the customer experience?
1. “Zero Resistance” Customer Experience
The “Zero Resistance” (also referred to as Immersive) shopping guide experience emphasizes offering customers a convenient and seamless journey. Through the active platform of the customer base, brands can invisibly expand exposure and enhance chances for people to connect. For example, on social media, brands will employ stories or videos to create content that is relevant to their target audience.
Consumers may easily find their needs or interests using a “Zero Friction” customer experience. It promotes a shorter sales cycle, which makes the transition from product exposure to conversion smoother. Zero Friction consumer experience revolves around a seamless shopping and content experience where purchases are made on a single platform.
Through 1-to-1 video or messaging, businesses may boost salespeople’s interaction with customers. They can also develop a virtual reality environment for products or services to give users a more realistic experience. On their websites or any online shopping platforms, businesses can also include post-purchase experiences and sharing for customers. Customers’ post-purchase experiences and sharing give deeper emotional and practical linkages, as well as a greater sense of brand authenticity. Moreover, the “zero resistance” customer experience can also be presented through live shopping.
The one-to-one video live broadcast function and dialogue on VIMOS allow the salesperson to personally introduce the product. This incredible platform allows customers to place an order immediately after finishing the conversation, making the purchase procedure easier!
Brand Case
Farfetch
Farfetch is a luxury e-commerce site that uses data analysis to provide customers with personalized experiences. In the cloakroom, the brand employs RFID (radio-frequency identification-enabled) technology to analyze consumer buying preferences and build online wishlists automatically. Farfetch’s augmented reality retail solution brings the online and offline worlds together. Customers can use touch-sensitive mirrors at the London store, as well as an online check-in station.
Customers can search their purchase history and wishlists at the login station. This provides physical store salespeople with more detailed consumer information and allows them to provide more personalized services. On the other hand, customers can request various clothing sizes and other products immediately during fittings with Smart Mirror. They can even pay in the fitting room and then leave the store wearing their new outfits!
Farfetch’s services give more comprehensive customer care solutions to traditional luxury physical stores. They raise the brand’s service quality and provide customers with a better sense of value for their money.
2. Entertainment Retail (Retailtainment / Experimental Retail)
Entertainment retail is a fusion of entertainment and commerce. It focuses on giving customers exciting and distinctive experiences while diversifying their buying options. Consumers are more materialistic than ever, thanks to the retail industry’s modernization. According to research, increasing consumer pleasure might influence buying behavior and sales. Setting up mini playgrounds in stores is an example of conventional entertainment retail strategies.
With virtual or 3D technologies, retailers can do more than just provide customers with more enjoyment. Through social media, online businesses may create an entertainment room retail experience. For example, by using UGC (User Generated Content) or raffle in-store experience services to promote consumer involvement and brand appeal.
Brand Case
IKEA: The Big Sleepover
Through Facebook online competitions, IKEA USA enhanced consumer engagement. 100 lucky individuals were invited to spend the night in IKEA’s massive warehouse. The lucky winner of the day gets to pick their own mattress and pillow, giving them an entirely personal experience. There are also sleep experts on hand to provide advice on how to improve their sleep quality. This kind of activity might not only boost the brand’s exposure rate. It can also enhance the brand’s image and increase public awareness!
Great Jones
Great Jones, a kitchenware brand, has developed an exclusive SMS platform to give customers a reliable source of unusual purchases, as well as recipes and cooking instructions. Consumers gain confidence in the brand and are more willing to buy the store’s products as a result of this content marketing strategy.
3. Immersive Shopping Guide Experience (“Unforgettable” customer experience)
The emotionally resonant consumer experience is emphasized in the immersive shopping guide experience. While brands that provide unforgettable experiences have a smaller market share, they have grown significantly as a result of a greater focus on engaging customers with eye-catching elements. Disney, LEGO, IKEA, and other well-known brands are examples of memorable corporations.
The entire shopping guide experience focuses on developing consumer loyalty through the five senses, in addition to evoking emotional resonance. Virtual reality is an immersive experience that many firms employ to allow customers to try out products. AR, VR, MR, and other technologies allow customers to engage in experiences that are not available in physical stores. The experience is further enhanced with AR visualization tools and 3D product actual photos. While virtual reality is costly, the benefits are enormous. Through augmented reality and virtual display content, Cisco is predicted to raise its revenue by 12 times to $120 billion.
XR (Extended Reality) is a unique immersive technology that combines VR, MR, and AR. Extended Reality provides consumers with a more interesting, inspiring, and interactive experience. Concerts, virtual idol events, renting a home, and owning a home are all excellent options for creating an immersive experience!
Brand Case
Levi’s Virtual Reality Store
Levi’s built an online 360-degree virtual store of their flagship store in New York’s Times Square earlier this year. Customers can make purchases by clicking straight on apparel or shelves.
Levi’s also offers virtual management, shop deliveries, online purchase and store pickup, a mobile app, and customer-focused activities. Virtual Stylist, one of Levi’s customer-focused programs, matches consumers with the best jeans based on their preferences. A 24-hour Chatbot helps customers discover their jeans preferences based on their foot form, height, tailoring, and body type.
Consumers can also use Facebook Messenger to share the garments they are considering purchasing. They can solicit feedback from friends in real-time, making the purchasing process more engaging and allowing others to participate!
The Key to Creating the Perfect Customer Experience
Humanized experience is the focus, not technology.
Technology is merely a tool for improving the customer experience; it will not fix the problem on its own. Before making a decision, consider the experience and invest more time in improving employee satisfaction. Happy employees result in more innovative and insightful viewpoints, as well as improved brand growth.
Brands should focus on community needs, entertainment, and high-quality consumer experience instead of relying on technology to alleviate pain points. At the same time, empathy allows you to communicate with your customers and build better long-term relationships. Brands can incorporate observational features into online retail and analyze consumer behavior with big data to provide the most considerate services. Humanized service is the solution, as mechanical inquiry and answer would only attract consumer solutions.
Speed, agility, and flexibility are the most critical aspects of an online store’s operations. The pace with which strategic planning, deployment, and execution are completed is referred to as speed. Agility is referred to as the efficiency with which an organization responds to consumer needs. It pertains to a company’s ability to identify customer problems and offer solutions. Finally, there is flexibility, that is, the room to adjust the strategy. To achieve long-term growth in the post-e-commerce age, online retailers must focus on “what buyers can expect from a product or service”.
Find out how technology can drive business growth.
Only 47% of company leaders believe they completely understand how robotics and artificial intelligence may improve the consumer experience. The key to your online store’s success is ensuring a flawless buying procedure from mechanical to human service. Customers are more loyal to brands that provide a consistent experience. Leveraging a variety of tools to provide smoother payment methods and unifying transactions across platforms is the key to customer retention.
Online retailers should provide humanized services as well as allow customers to buy online as if they were in person. Additionally, to improve customer service, retailers must employ automated technologies to learn from people’s buying habits and interactions. This allows your employees to better understand the demands of customers and give better service. Businesses can also explore modifying how they measure effectiveness and replicating success stories to better their work and business strategy. Improving the customer experience requires bringing people and technology together.
Although technology can provide customers with a unique shopping experience, it lacks human-centric elements and could even cause unneeded stress for customers. Therefore, in addition to technological advancements, businesses should concentrate on how to provide more compassionate and caring customer service.
Want to make consumers’ online buying experience as seamless as possible? Looking for loyal customers by giving them a unique experience? Register today to get a free demo of the VIMOS live e-commerce platform and see how it may help you revolutionize your online store customer relationship management!
