Retailers Have One Chance to Make a Great Impression
Several articles have been published recently regarding consumer satisfaction with their shopping experiences, online and offline. Highly relevant because the
current economic environment makes it all the more important for
retailers, regardless of channel, to satisfy consumers
Allurent/e-tailing group released their Online Customer Experience Survey which found that:
So what can retailers do to improve their customer satisfaction ratings? Here are a few suggestions:
Harvard Business Review reports on a study which found that without personalized shopping, clear categorization, order tracking, and in-depth product- or service-related information retailers can’t hope to keep buyers on their sites for long. But retailers can gain the most by engaging their customers through the provision of information on related products and services. Only about 23% of the sites reviewed in this study made use of customer engagement practices but the the top 25 companies that did outperformed the S&P 500 by more than 12%, on an annual basis, throughout the period.
A Chief Marketer article lists a few tips to good customer experience management including:
An eWeek article, based on a consulting firm's report, outlines nine steps to improve the online service experience, all based on common-sense, tried-and-true principles that have underpinned customer service since the days of non-monetary barter. These include understanding the experience your customers expect, defining the elements of the experience you intend to deliver, identifying the content and tools required to fulfill customer expectations, determining success criteria, and fighting to maintain control of the experience you deliver.
Finally, a ClickZ case study of how Zappos achieves off-the-charts customer advocacy through extraordinarily high levels of customer loyalty based on a unique combination of company culture and an unapologetic focus on customer service. Their tagline is "Powered by Service" and they are dedicated to providing the best service and online shopping experience possible. The results include, for example, the fact that 75% of their daily sales come from repeat customers, who spend much more on their follow-up orders.
Posted by Universal Ad
Allurent/e-tailing group released their Online Customer Experience Survey which found that:
- 53% of consumers expressed interest in virtual catalogs and circulars that can be downloaded directly to their desktops, so retailers could update information on new merchandise and special offers.
- 67% of consumers said their expectations
about the quality of their online shopping experience increased since
the 2006 holiday shopping season
- Nearly 40% said that a frustrating online experience would make them less likely to shop at that retailer’s physical store
- 60% reported that when they have a frustrating shopping
experience online, it negatively impacts their overall opinion of the
retailer/brand
- 80% would not return to the site after having a negative online shopping experience
- The two most important customer service features - perpetual shopping cart and one-page checkout (more women than men found customer service features to be of high importance)
So what can retailers do to improve their customer satisfaction ratings? Here are a few suggestions:
Harvard Business Review reports on a study which found that without personalized shopping, clear categorization, order tracking, and in-depth product- or service-related information retailers can’t hope to keep buyers on their sites for long. But retailers can gain the most by engaging their customers through the provision of information on related products and services. Only about 23% of the sites reviewed in this study made use of customer engagement practices but the the top 25 companies that did outperformed the S&P 500 by more than 12%, on an annual basis, throughout the period.
A Chief Marketer article lists a few tips to good customer experience management including:
- Working together across silos (sales, marketing,
R&D, logistics, support and partners) design and deliver an
integrated experience with "one voice" in order to achieve
maximum customer impact and business efficiencies.
- Identifying what can make your store unique in your competitive environment and then designing the customer experience with this goal in mind, and making sure it is delivered throughout the entire customer lifecycle.
- Building a system that ensures a customer-centric view (how you sell and market to and support
the customer) is embedded in
your culture and is repeatable.
- Making sure customer loyalty and key business metrics are aligned and linking customer experience solutions to your business processes in order to provide focus, key resource commitment and accelerated delivery.
- Choosing the experiences that are most important to your customers, and delivering them in an exceptional manner, setting the tone for execution and meeting customer commitments throughout the organization.
An eWeek article, based on a consulting firm's report, outlines nine steps to improve the online service experience, all based on common-sense, tried-and-true principles that have underpinned customer service since the days of non-monetary barter. These include understanding the experience your customers expect, defining the elements of the experience you intend to deliver, identifying the content and tools required to fulfill customer expectations, determining success criteria, and fighting to maintain control of the experience you deliver.
Finally, a ClickZ case study of how Zappos achieves off-the-charts customer advocacy through extraordinarily high levels of customer loyalty based on a unique combination of company culture and an unapologetic focus on customer service. Their tagline is "Powered by Service" and they are dedicated to providing the best service and online shopping experience possible. The results include, for example, the fact that 75% of their daily sales come from repeat customers, who spend much more on their follow-up orders.
Posted by Universal Ad
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