Combining digital and offline, in-person experiences is giving businesses ways to make customer experience more convenient, personalised and satisfying than ever. Disruptive approaches to customer experience (such as Amazon’s self-service stores) are setting benchmarks for empowering the consumer.
Here are four key points about where CX is headed now:
Online Is No Longer The More Personalised Option
Customers are used to being able to find the products they want, when they want, simply switching to alternate online retailers when competitors don’t have stock. Online shopping provides a high degree of personalisation, with big data providing businesses with the means to send customers and leads personalised offers via email and social channels.Retail experiences are fast catching up. Soon we’ll see more businesses making in-store customer experiences just as personalised. More businesses are using customer insights to shape and refine their in-store experiences around customers’ buying histories and personal preferences.
Current CX Is Shaking Up Old Norms
In the past, if you wanted a cab you had to stand on the street. Finding a place to stay for your overseas adventure meant complex hotel booking systems. Uber and Airbnb are two examples of how inventive start-ups integrated online and offline experiences better, making hailing a cab in your area (or booking accommodation) as easy as opening an app and entering your location.
Customers Can Now Get The Information They Want, When They Want It
Innovative grocery chains (such as the Italian chain Coop) are using in-store displays to show customers information relevant to their needs. Coop displays information about allergens in food items, recipes and other relevant information on screens in their food aisles. The new CX is tapping into the near-limitless personalisation possibilities of the information era.
Brands That Don’t Innovate Are Getting Left Behind
A downside of the shifting customer experience landscape is that brands that don’t keep up and offer more personalisation and convenience will lose out. As the line between digital information and offline customer experience blurs, customers’ expectations will increase to match. This means that to keep satisfying customers who could seek better experiences elsewhere, businesses will need to keep abreast of current CX trends and adapt.
Does your business need a CX overhaul? Contact Interact RDT today.