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Connecting with the Consumer: Why Prioritising the Provision of Commerce Anywhere Matters INTRODUCTION Consumer journeys are now more complex than ever before, and the marketplace is highly competitive. Shoppers no longer visit one store in order to purchase a product — they browse on their mobile device, investigate online, compare prices on price comparison sites, read product reviews, visit a store to feel product quality and scour the web for the best possible price. The sheer number of options the modern consumer has today means retailers need to differentiate themselves. The way to stand out from the crowd is by creating a connection between the consumer and the brand — because experience matters. Engaging consumers emotionally means fulfilling on the retail promise and delivering an experience that delights and one that consumers will want to return to. This experience has to transcend all channels – from online to mobile to brick-andmortar. Retailers need to connect their physical with their digital platform in order to give consumers the total retail experience. In order to accomplish this, businesses need to understand how consumers shop. They need to be able to gather data and insight derived from all shopping channels and connect them to the store in order to empower their store associates to deliver an outstanding customer experience.
Understand How Consumers Shop Consumers today are savvy and armed with insight and options. Our latest consumer research report “The New Retail Democracy” (published March 2014), sheds light on global shopping behavior and the new democratic relationship that has emerged between consumers and retailers. Here are some statistics from our research: 53% of responding shoppers in China, Japan, the US, UK, Germany, France, Russia and Brasil stated they had made a purchase via their computer or tablet. 34% bought in-store and used home delivery, while 31% used click-and-collect for the first time. According to a 2013 report by online publication “Internet Retailer”, mobile retail sales for the 358 U.S. merchants ranked in the Mobile 500 will reportedly grow about 67% and reach $25.4 billion1. Social channels are growing in commercial value — Business Insider reported in September 2013 that Pinterest now accounts for 23% of social media-referred ecommerce sales2. 62% of respondents of our research have read product comments their friends shared on Facebook. And at the Retail Week Live 2014 event in London, UK3, Twitter UK Managing Director Bruce Daisley shared that “1 in 3 shoppers say that Twitter has a direct influence on their purchase decision. Shoppers that use Twitter are 50% more likely to buy online”. Retailers need to live by these facts, continue to monitor changing consumer behavior and purchasing patterns using customer analytics, and use the insight to sync their retail processes with consumer demands.
See the Opportunity in the Store Availability and adoption of channels may vary across the world; however the need for a virtually seamless and relevant “one brand” experience is universal. This experience must not only encompass many channels, but enable a business to replicate an equal experience whether the consumer appears in-store or visits a mobile site. 48% of global research respondents state they would happily buy a branded item direct from a brand. Our research report highlighted what may come as somewhat of a surprise in a world increasingly dependent on technology: the role of the store is being redefined — there is a chance for brands in brick-and-mortar.
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The sheer number of options the modern consumer has today means retailers need to differentiate themselves. The way to stand out from the crowd is by creating a connection between the consumer and the brand — because experience matters. Engaging consumers emotionally means fulfilling on the retail promise and delivering an experience that delights and one that consumers will want to return to.
The store delivers the touch and feel of a brand, it is the physical platform on which retailers are able to engage a visitor with their content and products and convert them to a customer and brand advocate. This physical experience associated with a brand is as valuable as a simple and fast shopping process, the availability of speedy returns or the existence of a mobile app. The store is an essential feature in the overall customer experience that a retail organisation delivers. Which technologies do consumers value? 34% of global research respondents would like to see suggestions about additional products they might like, 21% are interested in mobile apps in order to browse online for previewing or just to gather information, 17% believe free Wi-Fi in-store helps deliver a truly multi-channel experience — especially important in supporting business from tourists, who rely on in-store Wi-Fi to read up on products or exchange opinions with friends or family. Imagine the power of the physical experience of a brand, connected with the technologies a customer values, as well as insight into their shopping behavior and history. Shoppers want to receive an experience that is based on what they are doing right now, as well as what they have done in the past — they expect retailers to “know” them. Retailers can differentiate by consistently delivering an experience that is relevant, based on behavioral insight and customer analytics to offer real value. It is essential to create a single view of a customer, one that extends across retail channels.
Don’t Just Sell Retailers would be wise to avoid mindless cross-selling and plain cataloging and instead engage consumers with rich and relevant content online. Savvy customers expect their favorite brands to provide all the answers — and brands can do so by leveraging customer analytics to understand what motivates customers at each stage of their buying process. How are they interacting with the brand across multiple channels? How do different customer segments behave? Finding answers to these questions will help retailers offer an experience that is relevant for the customer and profitable for themselves. No matter how many unpredictable paths a shopper may take, by incorporating rich and engaging content from any source and pulling it into a relevant experience, retailers can help their shoppers find what they need. Mixing robust content into your customer’s online experience means going the extra mile from random offers to a tailored, customised and most of all relevant online experience. How to do this? An outdoors and sports brand can add video content of their sponsored athletes, highlighting the products they are wearing and providing an option to buy. A retailer that sells home and cooking ware can provide recipes that feature their products, taking a creative approach to displaying multiple uses their products offer. A supplier of DIY material can add installation options, offer tutorials or the option to “speak to an expert” — in other words: provide a complete solution using rich and engaging content.
Reinventing the Store The key to giving consumers a total retail experience is connecting customer insight from the digital with the physical platform. Reinvent and empower the store — and its associates. Sales staff, armed with knowledge and customer insight, is a retailer’s secret weapon. 55% of global Retail Democracy survey respondents admitted they spent more money when store assistants were empowered to help them, and two-fifths of that figure felt consumers often had access to more information about products, pricing and availability than those helping them. Preventing consumers from turning to the competition can be as simple as providing the store and customer service assistant with the same technology. (The same applies to customer service agents — access to web and store promotions enable agents to offer a consistent experience.) Put the consumer and the store assistant on an equal playing field. Imagine this scenario: On Saturday afternoon, Chris is on Facebook catching up with his friends’ activities — and notices his friend Marco’s post about the TV he has just bought. Chris clicks on the link and visits the brand’s site. Having wanted a new TV himself, he adds the TV to his cart. Hesitant about making the purchase, he decides to pop down to his local store to test the quality. He reads reviews about the TV while on the train into town, and even watches a promotional video on his mobile. When Chris finally arrives at the store, the Store Associate is able to pull up his profile, knows what is in his shopping cart and what he is interested in purchasing. She can then offer individualised service and informed recommendations to Chris. Chris is happy and buys his TV.
Providing the store associate with the tools to identify a customer, view their shopping history and offer a high-touch consultative experience means offering a personal, relevant experience which results in a delighted customer.
CONCLUSION As the line between physical and digital blurs, the consumer wants to participate with the retail brand — they want access to many areas of a retailer’s business and they want a “one brand”, channel-agnostic experience. Putting barriers between the consumer and their new desire for knowledge is not a successful strategy. Retailers who do not welcome the new democracy and invest in giving their customers access will struggle. Retailers need to prepare to offer online what they offer in-store, be equipped with knowledge and insight, and make sure their online and store visitors will return because they know what they can expect from the retailer: an individualised experience, delivered in an engaging manner. Make them choose your brand, over and over again. It is a number one priority.
Providing the store associate with the tools to identify a customer, view their shopping
REFERENCES 1. Source: Internet Retailer, September 2013, http://www.internetretailer.com/2013/09/24/mobile-commerce-comes-age 2. Source: Business Insider, September 2013, http://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-and-pinterest-in-social-commerce-2013-9 3. Source: Retail Week Live 2014, http://www.retailweeklive.com
history and offer a high-touch consultative experience means offering a personal, relevant experience which results in a delighted customer.
CUSTOMERS WHO READ THIS ARTICLE ALSO VIEWED: VideoScribe: Commerce Anywhere – Connecting with the Consumer Press Release: Oracle Enables Retailers to Deliver Commerce Anywhere with New Retail Suite Blog Post: The New Retail Democracy Research
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