October 31, 2019
Merging the physical and digital worlds can awaken opportunities and new realms of innovation for businesses. However, knowing where to start with such a transformation can be uncertain. Here are five essentials that will lead you in the right direction.
1. Fuse CX and EX
Customer experience exists in a feedback loop with employee experience. You can't improve ROX without improving EX.
Employee experience is the front line of customer experience, so those who feel valued, fulfilled, and knowledgeable will help to deliver better experiences both online and in person1. Invest in employees’ emotional commitment to brand purpose.
2. Engage Customers and Observers
Express your brand externally; driving brand equity and personalised messages across social media platforms will make non-customers wish they had such an experience.
3. Don’t be Afraid to Invest in Sophisticated Data
Be sure to group behavioral characteristics into specific, distinct customer profiles. Who are your loyalists, and why? “Demographics can’t tell marketers how, when, where and why consumers shop.”2
4. Show Consumers they are Protected
Consumers’ brand agnosticism is hanging in the balance with this generation — nothing will send them packing more quickly than believing their data is at risk. Be transparent about data: tell them what data you are using, why, and how you will deliver value through the data you are using, like with a digital campaign video creating excitement around the personalized, entertaining, memorable experience they will have in store.
5. Think Strategically vs. Tactically
Invest in new in-store experiences based on data-proven needs for customers. Don’t blindly purchase large, shiny screens or sophisticated POS systems. Know what you are solving for before chasing the shiny new object. Will your new CX buildouts actually lead to new purchases or amplification, or just a “that’s cool” that doesn’t add to specific goals? Finally, don’t copy a competitor unless you know their activations will work for you.
