Omnichannel integration, personalisation, and strong correlation between employee and customer experience, main drivers to imporve the retail customer experience
Mhe, retail consultancy, conducted, between 13 and 20 December 2018, a study on the retail customer experience in the main retail chains of Spain and Portugal, in which more than 200 managers from 50 retail chains (various sectors : Fashion, Home, Great Consumption, Multi-Sector).
The study focuses on the degree of impact of certain initiatives within their respective chains, related to the experience they offer their clients:
- Today
- Expected in the next 12 months
For each of the variables, they were asked to define whether the degree of application and impact would be non-existent, Low, Medium, High, or Very High.
Today, the format/concept and location of the physical store have the greatest impact on the customer experience
Despite the emphasis that the chains have made in recent times in terms of personalization and omnichannel integration for an end-to-end improvement, managers think that their chains, at this moment, are still far from generating a big impact on the experience of the client with such initiatives.
Omnichannel integration, customisation and alignment between employee and customer experience will focus the efforts of chains to optimise the retail customer experience over the next 12 months
Chains seek to bring value to their customers through a seamless, more integrated, more personalised omnichannel experience.
They also consider it relevant to ensure an adequate alignment between the customer experience perceived by the employees themselves, and the experience perceived by the customers. This lack of symmetry is also evident within the employees of the chains themselves, between the headquarters, sometimes far removed from the reality of their business, and the employees in the store front.
The non-stop promotional activity carried out by the chains today, and the high degree of impact they have today, make both Promotions and Pricing not be a priority, relatively, within the action plans of the managers as leverage in that customer experience.
Impact customer experience – initiatives by sector
Omnichannel integration and Customisation are the initiatives that will generate the greatest impact on the customer experience across all sectors.
Within the Home sector, there is a greater use of Pricing as an element that allows them to improve the experience of their customers. Also noteworthy about other sectors is the location of physical stores as an element that will generate a relevant impact on the customer experience, following the tendency of the main players to settle in downtown locations.
