The number of online purchases sets new records month by month, but retail does not seem to be slowing down and is confirmed as a force capable of generating 31 percent of the world’s gross domestic product.This is the picture that emerges from the recent Retail ‘s Big Show 2020 in New York, the event dedicated to the world of retail that was attended by all the world’s biggest players, from Starbucks to Walmart.All those who thus assumed the titanic clash between online and offline, between digital and physical, between point of sale and eCommerce, are thus displaced: the evolution of technology and consumers’ shopping habits has progressively seen the overcoming of barriers and rivalries between the two worlds.Although many purchases may in fact be completed online, many consumers prefer to pick up the product directly at the point of sale.This is also confirmed by the increasing trend of digital retailer companies choosing to open stores not only to facilitate delivery operations, but also to offer customers even more complete shopping experiences. Ability to interact with the product and build relationships are in fact still determining factors for a fulfilling customer experience: thus, online one searches for product information and offline one buys.
Customer Experience Ominchannel: this is the real challenge
The touch points between brands and consumers are multiplying, and while companies manage, in most cases, each channel with dexterity, what is often lacking is a comprehensive and strategically effective overview.For many brands, 2020 will be the year in which online and offline realities become touch points on par: this implies the need to create omnichannel flows, capable of structuring a true ecosystem where the different channels collaborate effectively.If the user, in fact, is increasingly inclined to leave personal information in exchange for personalization of their customer experience, on the other hand, companies must show themselves ready to manage this information with a view to creating loyalty-building strategies. Omnichannel marketing automation platforms, such as Blendee, thanks to a system of centralized management of users according to the CDP model (Customer Data Platform), thus make it possible to create a single customer view that can be used for personalized marketing activities at each touch point.
Digitization and big data: innovation in the retail world
Redefining the user’s customer experience, but not only that: the creation of an omnichannel strategy deeply influences the company and impactfully redefines its organization.Product booking, delivery, return, to name just a few services, but not only: off-line users expect to be able to make purchases through efficient payment systems and, thanks to technology, to enjoy unique experiences such as purchasing from APP directly at the point of sale with express checkout or booking the product online after actually attesting to its availability at the point of sale.Increasingly informed, impatient, difficult to please: digital consumers expect personalized communications and offers online and off-line. Access to data and the use of sophisticated artificial intelligence algorithms enable strategies for predictive marketing aimed at customer loyalty.
Customer centricity: how the customer relationship evolves
Ability to stimulate the senses, capture attention, create relationships: the physical store is still the most relevant touch point for structuring a relationship with the brand.Here the customer is at the center, not so much as a mere consumer, but first and foremost as a person.The habit of buying online, however, has also changed the consumer’s approach to the point of sale: it is difficult to tolerate going to the store and not finding what you are looking for. We expect to find personalized information and offers and salespeople who know about us.The focus for companies thus shifts from the product to the consumer: technology becomes a vehicle for new experiences to be conveyed in order to make each purchase more experiential and engaging as well as each customer more loyal.
