If you wonder why brands are losing customers, market share, or brand affinity, it almost always comes down to experience. It’s often not about price, timing, or location — it’s centered on the experience a consumer has with the brand in question.
Most often, a lacking experience is due to not keeping up with the changing preferences of the brand’s customer base. A brand-new Adobe Content Study lists experience as the No. 1 differentiator for brands — in fact, 41 percent of Millennials will walk away from a brand if there’s simply a slow page load.
There was a time when we, the consumers, accepted the big-box setup because it was a one-stop experience that married convenience with cost savings. But it’s no longer the cheapest option. We can find something online for a better price, rendering that big-box model obsolete. Retail, however, is far from obsolete. Location and convenience still matter. Being able to guide a customer through a tough decision still matters, and we can now add “timing” to the 5 Ps of marketing.
Being able to remain in someone’s head at exactly the right moment — or capture his attention at exactly the right moment — is paramount. “We have been striving to provide data-driven, cross-channel, personalized customer experiences to our clients,” said Justin Stayrook, SVP of digital experience at Merkle. “We hear from brands all the time that they’re under more pressure than ever to deliver personalized experiences at every touchpoint across the customer journey.”
So how are these brands competing? As you might guess, it’s all about the experience.
Start with trust.
All things being equal, we always gravitate toward the option we trust most and the option that presents the fewest barriers. Personalization, done effectively, helps build trust. If a customer already trusts a brand, he’s likely locked in. But if you’re marketing a new brand or you’ve just created a targeted shop on Instagram, trust is the first thing you have to build.
Trust can be built with the consumer’s best interests in mind. For example, great small businesses are best at ingratiating themselves with their customers the second they walk in the door. It’s the “Cheers effect.” When everyone knows your name, you’re more likely to come back. You’re also more likely to feel like your needs are anticipated and understood.
But a similar experience can be built digitally. As personalization serves up things we are most likely to enjoy, we already experience that online as shoppers. But technology can also bridge the in-store knowledge gap. Whether you use beacons, LFID, or other tech, there are methods of determining — in a non-creepy way — when someone who’s interested in your brand has entered your store. With that knowledge and the knowledge of what that person likes at hand, you can tailor an in-store shopping experience to his needs and wants. By making the excursion more convenient, helping the shopper pinpoint exact items, or triggering a flash deal on his phone, you’re building a relationship with the customer.
All those things, of course, can be done incorrectly or seem pushy. But that’s the difference between good retail and bad retail: Understanding what provides value and what’s intrusive is key. Trust is more important than driving a sale, and that’s why it pays to get to know your customers before you try to sell to them.
Even knowing what a customer’s true “selling point” is can be a huge advantage. In my early days as an entrepreneur, for example, I was all about the best deal — I wanted to save money and get things done effectively. That meant coupons and discounts from convenient retailers grabbed my attention and locked me in. Some of my entrepreneurial friends, however, were motivated by prestige and brand names, meaning exclusivity — rather than accessibility — drew their interest.
Make it personal.
“Personalization at scale is the holy grail of customer experience management. It requires customer insights from data and the ability to respond in real-time with rich, relevant content,” said Loni Stark, senior director of strategy and product marketing at Adobe. “Failure to deliver engaging, personalized experiences puts customer loyalty and purchases in jeopardy.”
Brands like Adobe, Merkle, and others are smart to be creating tools centered on the customer experience. In the past, physical brands were slow to compete with the speed and efficiency of online-only brands.
But as subscription brands and online brands like Warby Parker create physical stores and inverse the model, we can see that there’s still value in being able to deliver the strongest physical experience.
The biggest key is mindset. Consumers are mobile-first, even when they’re shopping in person. Use that to your advantage. It’s something that can be used to enhance the experience, speed things up, and make people want to come back again.
But beyond that, see customer experience as being able to further help customers and curate their experience. Don’t just send a random coupon — tailor it to the recipient. People like deals, and they love being helped and feeling like a brand is a trusted partner. Use customer experience tools to create those kinds of customer-brand relationships, and your experience won’t hold you back.
