Retailers today face a critical decision: Should they focus solely on their brick-and-mortar stores or innovate their technology to deliver a seamless digital and physical customer experience? Many retailers struggle with declining sales as they fail to update their digital presence to align with their brand identity. You must develop a comprehensive customer experience strategy that integrates your online and offline channels to succeed.
Adapting Your Customer Experience Strategy for a Digital-First Landscape
In the past, the customer journey revolved around the in-store experience. Retailers would focus on creating an attractive storefront in a high-traffic area to lure customers inside. Once inside, the customer experience depended on interactions with sales staff and the store’s design, displays, and signage. After making a purchase, there was little post-sale follow-up. This forced retailers to rely on the in-store experience and product offerings to return customers.
Today, companies must first focus on building digital awareness through channels like social media, paid advertising, and search engine optimization. The customer experience should provide a user-friendly digital presence across devices, from desktop to mobile. Once a prospect knows the company and products, the focus shifts to relationship building. This enables a seamless transition from online shopping to in-store purchase. Additionally, post-purchase campaigns have become a significant revenue driver. So much so that some companies (like Narvar) even specialize in maintaining digital relationships with customers after the sale.
The UX Assessment
Retailers must continuously assess their user experience (UX) to ensure they can thrive in the digital age. This requires looking beyond just analytics and incorporating behavior analysis to optimize their website, email, and social media channels.
Mattress Firm, a traditional retailer, provides an excellent example of creating a delightful online user experience. The company wanted to help customers choose the best mattress for their personal needs and preferences. They developed an interactive tool that guided customers through their sleeping patterns and provided personalized mattress recommendations.
If a customer was unsure, they could then visit a local Mattress Firm store to test the bed, complete the purchase, and schedule delivery. This tool not only improved Mattress Firm’s conversion rates but also positioned the company as a leader in the industry and one of the few bed-in-a-box retailers to offer customers the choices they want.
Amazon has also found success in transitioning from an online-only retailer to having a physical storefront presence. Creating a seamless transition from online to offline can be challenging. Amazon, however, has seen remarkable results with its Amazon Go stores. These stores use beacon technology to allow customers to simply walk in, select their items, and leave without the need for a checkout line.
In this model, the sales associate becomes more of a concierge. They are focused on building relationships with customers rather than directly facilitating transactions. With the advent of Conversational UX, the possibilities for retailers like Amazon to enhance their customer experience through innovation are seemingly endless.
Design a Winning Customer Experience Strategy With UpTop
As consumers shift their purchasing habits across mobile, web, social media, and brick-and-mortar channels, a siloed approach to customer experience is no longer sustainable. UpTop has proven expertise in conducting user experience assessments, facilitating strategy and design workshops, and developing enterprise portals to help companies innovate their digital retail strategies and deliver a seamless customer experience.
If you are ready to innovate your technology or need an assessment of your customer experience, reach out to us. We are experts in creating delightful customer experiences and would be happy to provide actionable insights to improve your conversion rates and drive business success.
