Supported by OSF Digital
Summary
Marketers and business strategists have a long track record of developing acronyms to describe the ever-evolving retail industry. Whilst these terms may help industry insiders grasp some of the complexities, it perhaps misses the main point; our customers don’t really care. They expect a single experience with a brand, irrespective of the touch point. Website, physical store, mail order and increasingly, social media are all places where the customer interacts with the brand. Our marketing activity drives them to these places, and we are adroit at presenting the brand in a consistent way. Store environments are also used to providing that consistent experience and for many brands, these are the original customer interaction points.
So, why do customers continue to have inconsistent and disjointed experiences? Usually, the elements that sit behind the customer facing façade aren’t delivering on the promise, either for the customer or the business. Often this is down to multiple systems not talking to each other, the physical customer interaction not matching the digital and ever increasingly complex processes muddying the waters. Sometimes, there is a reluctance to change and update systems because certain projects seem ‘too hard’.
This paper will review some of these issues, highlight key areas for retailers to consider and present some solutions.