Omnichannel

3 top customer experience trends every retailer should know about

Lara Kleinert, VP, business development, at HGS shares three top trends retailers should be embracing and jumping on board with given the new normal in retail due to the pandemic.

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March 10, 2021 by Lara Kleinert

Customer experience continues to be completely reinvented and reimagined. In today's world where in-store shopping is not always an option, retailers have to get creative in the way they break through to new consumers and maintain loyalty while simultaneously adjusting to newly adopted shopping behaviors.

Three top customer experience trends that are primed to become integral parts of the new normal and one retailers should begin embracing include:

True omnichannel

An omnichannel sales approach provides shoppers with an integrated customer experience, whether they are shopping online from a desktop or mobile device, calling in via phone, or physically browsing in a brick-and-mortar store. While a brand could have amazing mobile marketing, engaging social media campaigns, and even a well-designed website, if the platforms aren't completely integrated, it's not true omnichannel.

Multi-channel is what most businesses invest in today. They have a website, blog, Facebook, and Twitter, and they use each of these platforms to engage and connect with customers. However, in most cases, the customer still lacks a seamless experience and consistent messaging across each of these channels. The companies that get it right will be omnipresent for shoppers — connecting online, in stores and over social commerce and making sure every touchpoint is frictionless.

Video interactions and support

Video chat is no longer just a channel for stale conference calls. Now, many retailers that offer items such as clothing, makeup and jewelry have started providing video experiences to allow customers to speak with personal shoppers, stylists and brand ambassadors. This creates an opportunity for consumers to personally interact with store associates and receive tailored information on measurement and sizing straight from an in-house expert.

In addition to 1:1 video calls, retailers can also expect livestreaming to become one of the fastest-growing trends in personalized digital efforts. This type of real-time communication and demoing is the closest many retailers and brands have been able to come to physically connecting with customers outside of an in-store shopping experience.

Strategic outsourcing

With people being forced to stay at home last year, it should come as no surprise that in 2020, across all industries, the volume of service requests spiked while staff resources declined because of factors like sickness, lack of childcare or unstable in-home Wi-Fi. The best solution was for many businesses to lean on outsourcing partners who understood how to leverage automation to help drive down the average handle time on requests and inquiries while driving-up resolution rates.

As 2021 progresses, outsourcing will remain sought after by retailers as they look for flexible, agile and risk averse options to handling volume for not only seasonality, but also for business continuity purposes. Expect to see even more outsourcing companies continue to adapt to changing customer behaviors by providing highly sophisticated services and solutions that take advantage of many emerging technologies complementing the traditional activities delivered. This includes augmented reality, virtual reality, big data, analytics, robotic process automation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.

Successful customer experience now depends on how well retailers are digitally connecting to their consumers without them having to leave their house. With physical interactions remaining limited, understanding how technology can act as a tool for retailers to create innovative and creative experiences will be the key to adjusting to new customer expectations.

Lara Kleinert is VP, business development, at HGS