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)

Consumers just want to find what they're looking for

If I can't find it here, I'm going over there

"Consumers today want what they want when they want it and they don't expect to pay a premium to get it fast," NRF Vice President for Research Development and Industry Analysis Mark Mathews said. "When they walk into a store they want to find their item, and find it easily, especially if they've researched it online beforehand. And whether it's next-day or pickup-in-store, quick delivery of online purchases at little or no extra charge is growing so fast that it's something shoppers are coming to expect."

Mathews discussed the report during a session on developing trends in consumer behavior held today at NRF 2018: Retail's Big Show (NRF's annual conference) in New York. The session was moderated by NRF Director of Retail and Consumer Insights Katherine Cullen and also featured IBM Global Managing Director and General Manager of Worldwide Consumer Industries Laurence Haziot and Prosper Insights & Analytics Executive Vice President for Strategic Initiatives Phil Rist.

Whether shopping in-store or online, consumers are typically seeking to buy a certain item rather than just browsing, with 73% surveyed saying that's the case with stores and 54% online, according to the report. And in either case, 58% rated being able to find what they want quickly and easily as their top factor in determining where to shop. Shopping "just to browse" has shifted to being more popular online (done by 46% of those surveyed) than in stores (27%).

Among those shopping online, 68% expect free shipping even on purchases of less than $50, with 47% saying they typically back out if shipping isn't free. And 38% expect two-day shipping to be free while 24% expect free same-day shipping.

The quality of customer service is also a top factor in deciding where to shop, cited by 44%, along with speed and simplicity of checkout (42%) and the ability to try out products (20%). Consumers said their overall experience with a brand or retailer is important in determining which to buy from and how often (79% each) and how loyal or connected they feel (77%).

The survey found 59% of consumers are interested in special events retailers hold to draw customers into stores or onto websites, including the ability to try out products, exclusive access to sales, demonstrations and product tutorials. Millennials are particularly enthusiastic about special events - 44% said they were "very interested" compared with 25% of consumers overall. And Millennial men (60%) were more likely to be "very" interested than Millennial women (28%).

The report said fewer than a third of consumers were aware of technological innovations such as 3D printing or making purchases through social media (29% each), in-app store navigation (28%), in-store digital displays (25%) or retail messaging apps and online chat (24%). But among those that were, messaging apps and chat were the technology that had most often been tried (65%) while in-app store navigation was most-cited as improving the shopping experience (63%.)

"Retailers are literally racing to consumers' doorsteps to meet rising expectations," Mathews said.

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)