Customer experience: how about borrowing a little from the big brands?
While we sometimes grumble about the hegemony of the big brands in certain sectors, the fact remains that they have an enormous amount to teach all marketing and sales managers about business growth.
Even if you don't aspire to become the future Jeff Bezos or Steve Jobs, it's clear that in the space of just a few years, these visionaries have managed to make their mark on the economic landscape in an unprecedented way. And one of the most important factors in their success can be summed up in two words: customer experience.
What does this mean for you in concrete terms? It means that a good product is no longer enough (even if the quality of the offering is still a determining factor ).
So knowing how to enhance the customer experience is no longer an option. And since the giants of commerce all excel at least on this point, this article, with advice from Olivier Vigneaux (CEO at BETC Fullsix) reported by the Visionary Marketing website, will let you in on their little secrets. All you have to do is suck up a little from them ;-)
Customer experience in France and elsewhere
To begin with, let's take a look at how consumers perceive this famous customer experience.
The X barometer, conducted by OpinionWay and BETC Fullsix for several years now, provides us with some interesting data in this area, particularly on the discriminating criteria in the evolution of customer relations.
In France, we can see that the quality of the purchasing act itself still prevails. However, in more digitalised countries such as China, the relationship has become a more decisive criterion. A glimpse of what awaits us in France, itself in the throes of a major digital transformation?
Given this observation, it is clear that French companies have every interest in questioning the place of the human being in the purchasing process, at every stage of the journey. All the more so in the current context, where the health crisis has added another layer of digitalisation.
How, then, can you enhance the customer experience when face-to-face contact is gradually being replaced by digital technology? How do you convince and reassure when you no longer have the consumer in front of you to demonstrate your professionalism and give them your best smile?
Operational quality: the example of Amazon
The digital transformation of businesses must not be allowed to tarnish operational excellence.
On this point, Amazon's efficiency is unquestionable. In just a few years, the site has become the champion in this area, culminating in the introduction of 24-hour delivery for Prime subscribers. And its achievements in terms of the shopping experience don't stop there: one-click ordering, a high-performance customer feedback system to reassure customers that they are buying the right product, and so on.
And the worst thing about all this is that the American giant has set standards in the minds of consumers. As Olivier Vigneaux points out:
"People's general standards are rising very significantly, because comparisons are being made across all product categories. We're going digital for all the consumer categories we can think of. We're going to end up comparing the purchase of a car with the daily shopping you do at your local supermarket".
In other words, all the players in the retail sector, even the smallest, must try to align themselves in terms of operational efficiency.
But let's face it, not everyone has the firepower of Jeff Bezos. While the smaller companies are doing the best they can, fortunately they have other cards to play, particularly in terms of relationships and emotions, which, given what is happening in China, are becoming increasingly decisive.
According to the X barometer, Amazon still has a long way to go in this area. While the company is well positioned in the United States, it is not in the top 10.
The successful omnichannel experience: the example of Leroy Merlin
Amazon is taking the game by storm when it comes to the online shopping experience, but in the real world, many retailers have to deal with the physical world at the same time.
As a result, for many retailers, it's now time for phygital and omnichannel. From now on, the customer experience must be approached holistically, taking the consumer on a global, coherent journey... and without pitfalls!
Leroy Merlin (cocorico!), one of France's favourite companies, has understood this. What sets it apart is the harmony of its customer journey, before, during and after the purchase. To make interactions with consumers as fluid as possible, the brand has fully embraced phygital.
Here are a few examples:
- During the crisis, Leroy Merlin increased the presence of online advisers to provide customers with the best possible support, just as real salespeople would do in shop.
- In 2019, it has introduced the Mopinion tool to measure customer satisfaction online.
- The brand is working to ensure that the experience continues after the purchase. In particular, it has teamed up with Frizbiz, a platform for finding tradespeople to do the work.
- The only shop to open in 2021, in Villeneuve-les-Béziers, has played the omnichannel card to the full. The experience continues even in the aisles, with signs making it easy to download the app and find out about the availability of services, additional choices, etc.
And this work is paying off! The shop found that 52% of its turnover was influenced by digital (Think with Google). In fact, it is the 1st European retailer to have its own algorithm for forecasting offline sales influenced by online sales.
From personalisation to understanding needs: the example of Netflix
Another component of the customer experience that keeps coming back to us is the sacrosanct notion of personalisation... which must be apparent even in online commerce!
However, according to the X barometer, this obligation to personalise now goes even further. According to Olivier Vigneaux, it is increasingly being replaced by "a precise understanding of needs".
Is the experience being offered to me? Are my profile and preferences taken into account?
Olivier Vigneaux , Visionary Marketing – Marketing & Innovation
In other words, sending an email with the customer's name automatically inserted is no longer enough. Asking them what they really want is becoming a priority.
Doesn't all this remind you of a certain streaming platform (tadam!)? Netflix is also one of France's favourite brands. Thanks to its powerful algorithm, the site is able to present users with content that matches them and is based on their preferences, customising the thumbnails to encourage them to watch a particular programme. It even enables its customers to discover series and films that they would not have come across on their own, but which are surprisingly suited to their tastes.
It's human, but human that is ultimately enriched by data processing.
Olivier Vigneaux , Visionary Marketing – Marketing & Innovation
As you can see, data is more important than ever.
But there are limits to this data-centric vision: consumers are increasingly sensitive to the use of their personal data.
As Olivier Vigneaux explains: "What is on the rise and was not present in previous barometers is the fact that the customer journey is not intrusive. This could become a discriminating criterion. Consumers are wondering whether the data collected about them is the right data. They don't ask too much of me, and I know what is done with the data I collect".
He takes the opportunity to point out that Apple has been rated very highly on this criterion, because the Apple brand has deployed a whole communication campaign on the issue of privacy protection.
Speaking of Apple...
The emotional sphere: the example of Apple
Let's end on an important dimension of the customer experience, if not the most essential: the emotional.
As Olivier Vigneaux reminds us, brands must work to create emotion and combat digital indifferentiation.
How can I ensure that the experience I offer creates a world that connects consumers with my brand? The first criterion: it has to work very well. But then you have to ask yourself "What's going to differentiate me in the end? What will create a bond? What's going to be a bit of a signature in the journey I'm offering people?
Olivier Vigneaux , Visionary Marketing – Marketing & Innovation
Apple has perfectly embraced this concept. The giant is undoubtedly renowned for its technology, innovation and enhanced user experience, as demonstrated by the launch of the iPhone and iPad. When it comes to the quality of its service and customer support, the company also does its utmost.
But Apple is also, and above all, a world, associated with :
- sleek, ergonomic designs
- Apple Stores with a scenography (borrowed from the luxury industry) that awakens the senses of visitors,
- an ecosystem made up of products that complement each other to support users on a daily basis, at different moments in their lives,
- strong values embodied in its communications and storytelling.
You must first define the customer experience you want to create and then work on the technology, not the other way round.
Steve Jobs
Ultimately, the brand's marketing does not focus on the technical quality of its products, like many of its competitors. Instead, it emphasises the fact that to consume Apple is to defy the current state of affairs. Think Different...
Of course, not everyone has the visionary genius of our good friend Steve, and not everyone subscribes to the company's values. But his success teaches us one thing: you have to be able to create a strong, recognisable world, aligned with the aspirations of your target audience. In short, it's the customer who needs to feel valued, not the offer.
And the good news is that this new mindset is within everyone's reach!
And what if Chewy had understood everything?
According to the X barometer, the brand that has climbed to the top spot in the United States is Chewy. Not Apple. Nor Amazon.
Although it's not very well known in our country, this online pet shop has managed to establish a strong emotional connection, despite its online presence. It shows its customers a great deal of attention, by wishing them their pets' birthdays, for example. The icing on the cake: when an order is cancelled following the death of a pet, Chewy not only facilitates the cancellation procedure, but also sends flowers and a card of condolence to the owner.
What an inspiration!
Putting people first
The evidence is clear. Operational and product quality, while still essential, are no longer enough.
A delightful customer experience must put the human element, in its global dimension, back at the heart of the relationship. Consumers increasingly appreciate feeling that they matter to their favourite brands, that they are not just another number among many.
Appealing to consumers' emotions is one of the best ways to stand out from the competition. And above all, it's within everyone's reach, because not everyone has the technological and operational resources of an Amazon or Netflix.
What's more, thanks to artificial intelligence, it's becoming easier to process massive amounts of data and analyse consumer feelings, make predictive personalisations, and so on. So there's no longer any reason to think that online and relationships are incompatible. With developments such as the metaverse, a New World is opening up, in which expectations in terms of the customer experience will not be lowered. Are you ready to conquer?
Article translated from French