In a world of notifications and alerts, we often get consumed by the idea of staying "up to date" and remaining "relevant." We want to provide innovative solutions, exciting answers, and aha moments for our clients. But even as marketers, we are first and foremost customers. Paying attention to our spending habits, being aware of our shopping patterns, and online behavior is crucial when advising our own clients...we all know this. Still, sometimes we are guilty of forgetting it.
I was reminded of my own needs as a customer a few weeks ago.
I have never ordered from Deliveroo.
A few weeks ago, I tried. It's fast, easy, and a delivery that will come to me. No effort is required. Great, I thought.
My first order failed. The order got lost. The operator told me they would look into the situation and consider a refund. I hung up, feeling as though my customer experience was unhelpful, impersonal, and unempathetic.
App deleted.
That was my last and final experience with Deliveroo.
In a hangry state, I decided to face the pouring rain with a trip down the high street to Marks and Spencers.
Upon entry, a cheerful assistant called Bob greeted me. Not only was he welcoming but also happy to help me find what I was looking for.
I will continue to head to Marks and Spencers on my lunch break and face a somewhat inconvenient journey for a positive buying experience.
Why is my hungry experience necessary for today's readers? The reality is, Not everyone wants a seamless, on-demand, instant shopping experience. There are other aspects of the buying experience that are still important.
The human connection.
"Think Like A Customer" Paul Gillan
Here are our three stories around how brands are looking to humanise their online presence.
The Story:
Levi's, Hilfiger Push, a New Kind of Online Shopping. It Looks a Lot Like QVC. To get homebound shoppers to splurge, some brands are copying QVC.
More than 12,600 viewers tuned in to Tommy Hilfiger's website to watch models, influencers, and celebrities talk about the brand's fall collection on a recent afternoon. And it's no surprise that the strategy worked when it came to engagement. After all, Internet users worldwide spent an average of 144 minutes per day on social media – up from 142 minutes in 2018. With marketplace platforms such as Amazon and eBay becoming staples in lifestyle and fast fashion e-commerce sites popular among younger consumers – there has been a rapid increase of direct-to-consumer (DTC) social selling.
Nearly 75% of consumers rely on social media to help guide what they buy. Let's not fool ourselves; affiliate marketing has been around forever. Companies like Avon created multi-million-pound businesses around the model. But now, we see global brands that built their revenue around retail, not only go online but also start to adopt the social selling trend to capture today's consumer's attention.
Our Take:
While many early e-commerce efforts focused on selling to people in a closed one-on-one interaction where others couldn't see or take part, social media has added new layers to social commerce. And that's the element that today's consumer is drawn to the community aspect of the overall digital experience. The critical aspect of social commerce is that you're actively selling on the platform itself, instead of driving traffic away from the social media site and directly to your website.
The Story:
Identity will look different in 2021; there are big changes coming within the data landscape. To meet them head-on, a key objective for many forward-thinking brands has been a renewed focus on digital transformation and the ethical collection, management, and use of first-party consumer data. First-party data will be a focal point in 2021, earning the majority of resources for the remainder of 2020 and beyond, with 57.1 percent of the study's respondents already reporting an increase in their first-party data usage, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) 's recent State of Data report, A strong data foundation coupled with a digital-first mindset has helped brands weather the Covid-19 crisis and even sustain or increase growth.
Heading into 2021, marketers will need to continue to pivot their approaches, especially regarding how they interact with customers. The overall experience is vital.
Our Take:
Most consumers are willing to engage with brands and share personal information to have a more personalized shopping experience. However, they need to feel respected and safe during every touchpoint. They know their data is valuable, but what you can do with that, and the advantages of them sharing it with you can be a win: win for all.
Marketers can prepare for the changes on the horizon in 2021 by adopting a formula for customer experience management success:
Data transformation + digital transformation = humanised brand experience
The Story:
Humanising eCommerce Ecrubox Digital, has launched a report Human Commerce: Powered by Technology to support brands that put humans at the centre of the buying experience. The research was designed to guide and support businesses as they undergo digital transformations during a time of economic uncertainty.... yeah, we made the headlines! and we are proud to share it with you all.
Even before the pandemic, digital transformation was greeted as the saviour of some businesses, especially in the retail sector. Since COVID this expectation has only increased. Ninety-three percent of marketers surveyed agreed that the use of technology has been important to maintain sales during lockdown. The majority of brands and retailers understood the value of eCommerce before COVID but the takeaway and key insights from the report is what can truly help many brands advance and improve.
Our Take:
We are thrilled that Enterprise Times featured our report and really value their insight. Their summary was perfect and instead of leaving you with our take we want to end with theirs,
" What the pandemic has demonstrated is that brands and retailers need strategies in place, to ensure sustaining relationships with customers. Furthermore, those strategies need to be practical, measurable and implemented to support enhanced customer experience. Superior and positive customer experience equals happy and satisfied customers equal the continued flow of revenues into successful businesses."
Want to find out more about how you can humanise your own online presence? Contact us directly and we will email you a full guide that will help with your next stage of digital transformation.