July 11, 2013
Oracle recently conducted research into the shopping needs and expectations of consumers in Brazil, China, Germany, Japan, Russia, the UK and the US, in an effort to better understand the importance of service to the retail experience, according to an article on guardian.co.uk.
Some of the findings include:
Understanding the value of service
Our findings revealed that unhelpful or unfriendly associates were listed almost universally as the primary cause of poor service, followed by poor knowledge, outweighing other factors including poor fulfilment, lack of choice and inefficient returns processes.
The store as a differentiator
Empowering assistants with the right insight, whether this is access to real-time stock availability, loyalty program data or the fastest way of sourcing that must-have item can be a key differentiator in the outcome of a retail interaction.
Connecting the customer experience
Cross-channel (or omnichannel) integration is imperative to a retailer's ability to market, interact and transact consistently across multiple touch points, whether the shopper is online, on the move or in the store. Shoppers want a seamless brand experience irrespective of channel, so retailers must evolve from considering individual, channel-specific transactions to that of a holistic, company-wide view of shopping behavior.
Read more about customer experience.
