Compelling customer experiences | IR News

Compelling customer experiences

Posted Date: 30/01/2013

By Graham Jackson

There is a growing relationship between experience-driven commerce, conversion and repeat business.

If the first wave of online commerce was about providing digital storefronts that were convenient, practical, and cost effective, then the second wave is about producing compelling, customer-focused, online experiences that accent the pleasures of shopping offline. In Australia’s new retail frontier, the ability to create experiences that reinforce brand values and resonate with consumers has never been more critical to success.

Price was once assumed to be the primary catalyst for online shopping. However, retailers who use technology to drive brand narratives and weave compelling customer experiences are now holding the competitive edge.

Australian women’s fitness and leisurewear brand, Lorna Jane, is an example, with the company embarking on a localised strategy by maintaining Facebook pages for each of its 137 retail stores.

The intent is to build a community around each local store in order to offer customers as close to what they want as possible. Sharing the brand’s experience on social media has meant that its online sales are now equivalent to the sales of seven of its bricks and mortar stores, with 10 per cent of conversions coming from Facebook.

To turn online browsers into buyers, retailers need to cultivate experiences that spark sustained conversations with shoppers.

But, choosing the right tools and technology to achieve this is not without challenges. The digital savvy customer is highly connected, time poor and inundated with retail options.

Securing their business calls for equal parts art and science as well as a commitment to delivering a brand message that is consistent across every consumer touch point ie mobile, internet, tablet, catalogue and instore.

At Hybris we encourage retailers to consider the following tools and technologies to help their brands resonate with customers.

Personalisation
To build productive customer relationships you first need an intimate knowledge of the shopper. Through collecting and using your data well you can serve up retail offers that are closely attuned to an individual’s tastes and interests.

Rich media
Engaging, interactive, and highly immersive, few tools rival the customer experience possibilities offered by online video. Video content can forge powerful connections between retailers and customers by serving as a vehicle for telling stories about the brand.

Editorial style content
The commerce arena is increasingly drawing on “magazine-logic” by using editorial content to foster customer relationships and demonstrate the voice of their brand. Content strategy plays a major role in creating rich, engaging customer experiences, especially in the case of premium brands that call for greater investment.

Augmented reality
Sensory experiences are a powerful influence on consumer desire and a major factor in the appeal of shopping offline. The ability to pick up a garment, try it on and forge an emotional connection that triggers the purchase is a vital base of the customer journey, and one that online retailers often struggle to replicate online. However, a breed of augmented reality and virtual fitting applications are bridging this gap by reinventing the tactility and precision of the bricks and mortar shopping experience for the online customer.

Social curation and crowdsourcing
When it comes to successful online retail models, brands that promote dialogue, curation and co-creation are eclipsing those that still insist on delivering a one way message to their customers.

Emotional connection
Luxury brands have long understood that emotional connection and aspiration serve as catalysts for inspiring customers to buy.

Mobile payments
Experience driven commerce isn’t just about delivering rich, customer centric online experiences. it is also about using technology to integrate channels and cultivate a seamless customer journey.

Fulfilment
Perhaps the most overlooked aspects of online retail are also the ones that can have the biggest impact on the customer experience. Many retailers forget to acknowledge the role of fulfilment in sparking conversion, strengthening brand presence and forging intimate customer relationships.

* Graham Jackson is the Australian MD for Hybris, a vendor of digital content. For more information, visit www.hybris.com.

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