Customer experience: how about borrowing a little from the big brands?
Although 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 a fact 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 in concrete terms? It means that the right product is no longer enough (even if the quality of the offer is still decisive!).
Knowing how to enhance the customer experience is no longer an option. And since the giants of commerce all excel at least in this area, 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 pump a little on them ;-)
Customer experience in France and abroad
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 regard, 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 digitalized 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?
Faced with this observation, it's clear that French companies have every interest in questioning the place of the human being in the purchasing journey, at every stage. All the more so in the current context, where the health crisis has added an extra layer of digitalization.
How, then, can we enhance the customer experience when face-to-face contact is gradually being replaced by digital technology? How can you convince and reassure customers when you no longer have them face-to-face to demonstrate your professionalism and give them your best smile?
Operational quality: the example of Amazon
The digital transformation of business activities 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 field, 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 about their purchase, and so on.
And worst of all, the American giant has set standards in the minds of consumers. As Olivier Vigneaux points out:
"People's general level of expectation is rising very significantly, because the comparison is being made across all product categories. We're going to end up comparing the purchase of a product with the purchase of an item. 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 smaller companies are doing the best they can, they fortunately have other cards to play, particularly on the relational and emotional front, which, in view of what's happening in China, is becoming increasingly decisive.
In fact, according to the X barometer, Amazon still has a long way to go in this area. Although the company is well positioned in the United States, it is not among the top 10.
The successful omnichannel experience: the example of Leroy Merlin
Amazon is taking the online shopping experience by storm, but in the real world, many retailers have to deal with the physical world in parallel.
As a result, for many retailers, it's now time for the phygital, the omnichannel. The customer experience must now be approached holistically, taking the consumer on a global, coherent journey... and without pitfalls!
Leroy Merlin (cocorico!), one of France's favorite companies, has understood this. It stands out for 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.
A few examples:
- During the crisis, Leroy Merlin increased the presence of online advisors to provide customers with the best possible support, just as real in-store salespeople would.
- In 2019, it implemented the Mopinion tool with the aim of measuring online customer satisfaction.
- The brand is working to ensure that the experience continues after the purchase. In particular, it has partnered with Frizbiz, a platform for finding craftsmen to carry out work.
- The only store to open in 2021, in Villeneuve-les-Béziers, has played the omnichannel card to the full. The experience continues even in the aisles, thanks in particular to the presence of signs to easily download the app and find out about the availability of services, additional choices, and so on.
And the work pays off! The company found that 52% of its store sales were 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 personalization to understanding needs: the example of Netflix
Another component of the customer experience that keeps coming back to our ears is the sacrosanct notion of personalization... which must shine through, even in online retailing!
However, according to the X barometer, this obligation to personalize 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. It's time to ask what the customer really wants.
Doesn't all this remind you of a certain streaming platform (tadam!)? Indeed, Netflix is also one of France's favorite brands. Thanks to its powerful algorithm, the site is able to present users with content that matches their preferences, customizing thumbnails to encourage them to watch particular programs. It even enables its customers to discover series and films they wouldn't have come across on their own, but which surprisingly correspond to their tastes.
It's human, but human that's ultimately enriched by data processing.
Olivier Vigneaux , Visionary Marketing – Marketing & Innovation
As you can see, data is more important than ever.
But this data-centric vision has its limits: consumers are increasingly sensitive to the use of their personal data.
As Olivier Vigneaux explains: "What is on the rise, and which was not present in previous barometers, is the fact that the course is not intrusive. This can become a discriminating criterion. Consumers are wondering whether the data collected about them is the right data. I'm not asked for too much, 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, as the Apple brand has deployed a whole communication campaign on the issue of privacy protection.
Speaking of Apple...
The emotional sphere: the Apple example
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 universe that links the consumer to 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. Of course, the giant is undeniably renowned for its technology, sense of 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 delivers the goods.
But Apple is also, and above all, a world, associated with :
- sleek, ergonomic designs,
- the Apple Store, with a scenography (borrowed from the luxury goods industry) that awakens the senses,
- an ecosystem made up of products that complement each other to accompany users on a daily basis, at different moments in their lives,
- strong values embodied in its communication and storytelling.
You must first define the customer experience to be created and then work on the technology, not the other way around.
Steve Jobs
In the end, the brand's marketing doesn't focus on the technical quality of its products, like many of its competitors. No, it emphasizes 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 brave Steve, and not everyone adheres to the company's values. But his success teaches us one thing: you have to be able to create a strong, recognizable universe, 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!
What if Chewy had it all figured out?
According to the X Barometer, the brand that has risen to first place in the United States is Chewy. Not Apple. Nor Amazon.
This online pet store may not be very well known in our country, but it has managed to establish a strong emotional connection, despite its online presence. They show their 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 condolence card to the owner.
What an inspiration!
Putting people first
The evidence is clear. Operational and product quality, while essential, are no longer enough.
The enchanted customer experience must place the human element, in its global dimension, at the heart of the relationship. Consumers increasingly appreciate feeling that they matter to their favorite 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, since 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 analyze consumer feelings, to perform predictive personalization, and so on. So there's no longer any reason to think that online and relational are incompatible. With developments such as the metaverse, a New World is opening up, in which expectations in terms of customer experience will not be downgraded. Ready to conquer?
Article translated from French