Online and offline are now working together to provide a customer experience with as few unpleasant moments as possible (this is called “irritants”). A controlled shopping experience then requires the integration of the various distribution and communication channels, which then makes it possible to create a personalization of the offers according to the data collected and put in relation to each other.
Limit “irritants” in the customer experience
You need to make sure that as many consumers as possible find what they're looking for quickly in-store or online. For this, some solutions can be implemented:
- The web and smartphones/tablets for sellers make it possible to better assist customers when they go to the store.
- The various and varied means of delivery. For example, offer click & collect, delivery by courier in 2 hours, etc.
- Reduced waiting in store. Mobile should be widely used as a tool to improve the customer experience. This tool is a real source of information, makes it possible to offer specific functionalities (in-store location, payment, etc.) and thus makes it possible to limit negative elements throughout the customer experience.
Forget “channel” by “channel” communication
In order to get ahead of what pure players can offer, think of your omnichannel as a real asset. Allow and facilitate navigation from one channel to another for various benefits (advice, delivery and many other services).
Your primary asset, your omnichannel, must be at the heart of all your business strategies and above all must be accepted by all the members of your team. The different channels within a company should not be seen as competitors to each other. It's up to you to support this change of mindset.
Think about the performance of the customer journey as a whole
It is sometimes difficult to attribute the sale to a particular channel in an omni-channel context. It was, for some time, a question of attribution on the last click, this trend is no longer relevant. It's about creating a more complete view of the customer journey in order to better understand the impact and role of each communication and distribution channel in achieving certain objectives.
Finally, the performance must be evaluated according to different KPIs related to sales but also according to other less commonly used indicators such as the "customer lifetime value" which is interested in customers in a global way without analyzing them channel by channel. The objective is thus to determine the loyalty and commitment of consumers to the company and the brand with the aim of building a profitable relationship.
The customer experience now goes far beyond the diffusion of scents or music in a store. It is determined by the integration and synergies of a set of communication and distribution channels that work together with a perpetual objective of customer satisfaction.
