Have you seen The Customer Experience Factbook?

In this 180+ page report, you'll find all the information and support you need to build a profitable, effective CX Improvement Program that spans every part of your business. You'll be able to implement and manage meaningful and profitable change, and grow your bottom line despite a slowing economy.

Get it on Amazon (Kindle/Print)

Post-recession shopping behaviour shifts

The recession has changed consumers' mindset about shopping, and most people have already developed new rules for the retailers with which they choose to deal. As a result, retailers need a greater understanding of the changed roles they play in consumers' lives in order to meet those expectations and maintain customer loyalty.

The study, entitled 'Re-Imagining The Retail Store', identified five key findings that retailers should consumer when implementing new strategies:

1. Don't let technology undermine the shopping experience
   Retailers tend to view in-store technologies as a better way to connect with their customers, but customers don't agree. While people do want to experience a seamless transition between the physical and virtual store by using technology, they also want educated and friendly service when visiting the physical store. Technology is not a suitable substitute and this practice can damage an already fragile relationship.
2. Shoppers are promiscuous
   Consumers tend to shop around, and their loyalty is hard earned. The recession has taken a toll on consumer confidence and people's perceptions of retail business. Customer loyalty has to be earned by understanding in detail the expectations of the shopper and delivering every time.
3. Price is attractive, but it's not the whole story
   Consumers will not accept a trade-off involving low price versus quality experiences and merchandise. Today, people are more than happy not to spend their money if they feel that retailers do not give them a sufficient reason to purchase.
4. Breaking the rules
   If you're not winning by following the rules, break them. There are two clear ways to win in store-based retailing - excel within your store archetype or take a radical path to greatness and create a new store format that breaks out of category conventions and delivers a unique experience.
5. The basics are still powerful
   It may not be exciting, but there is work to do and profit to be made from making the basics of retail even better. Retailers are struggling to get the basics right and people are visibly frustrated. Going back to basics can help to improve customer appeal, retention and, ultimately, profitability.

According to Dr Alan Treadgold, head of retail strategy for Leo Burnett Worldwide, "The retail landscape continues to evolve and move further away from being just a place to purchase a product. It's an experience. As retailers listen to their customers and understand their behaviors, they can create an experience that people come back to time and time again."

A white paper detailing the study's findings and conclusions has been made available for free download from the Leo Burnett web site - click here (Google Docs web-based document; no registration needed).

Have you seen The Customer Experience Factbook?

In this 180+ page report, you'll find all the information and support you need to build a profitable, effective CX Improvement Program that spans every part of your business.

You'll be able to implement and manage meaningful and profitable change, and grow your bottom line despite a slowing economy. Grab this goldmine of easily adaptable and up-to-date strategies, walk-throughs, trends, technologies, research, suppliers and partners, plus all the supporting arguments you need to build a solid CX strategy.

While most marketers could list maybe a dozen key points for improving their brand's Customer Experience (CX), the researchers and writers at The Marketing Factbook have identified FORTY main 'CX Keys' which will help you drive your customers to new levels of delight, loyalty, advocacy and profitability.

The areas in which customers have direct contact with your organization are perhaps the most obvious places in which CX improvements can be made, and this report addresses all 24 of these 'Direct CX Keys', applicable to offline and online businesses alike.

At the same time there are many other areas that indirectly affect CX (such as the supply chain, policies and processes) in which every business can make simple but far-reaching improvements. This report guides you through the problems and solutions for all 16 of these 'Indirect CX Keys', many of which are often forgotten or under-played even in the best CX strategies.

Get it on Amazon (Kindle/Print)