For consumers, the experience a brand provides is as important as the products they buy, according to a study by Salesforce.
“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”
Simon Sinek
There is no doubt that consumers are marking the evolution of businesses in its different versions. The customer-seller relationship is more complex than ever and has nothing to do with the former connection between traditional businesses and clients.
Omnichannel
Omnichannel has come precisely to respond to the changing needs of users, who are also divided into very different profiles depending on their generation (X, Y, Millennial). However, it continues to be true that physical commerce has a great significance and will continue to be so for a long time thanks to advantages such as return or exchange policies, customer service or support or loyalty programs. 71% of users specifically prefer physical stores for their first purchase, although after repeated purchases thereafter, users already prefer multiproduct online stores due to different reasons such as the most convenient prices, shipping options and the greater diversity of products.
On the other hand, online stores managing their own brands are also important, but to a lesser extent than in the two previous cases: the authenticity or quality, the exclusivity of products and its customization capabilities are factors that lead consumers to access online shops of the main brands.
These are some of the conclusions reached by Salesforce after publishing its 3rd edition of the Connected Shoppers Report, this time with a greater participation of Spanish users among 10,000 respondents worldwide.
The report identifies 3 main places for shopping: retailer (physical store), brand (online store) and marketplace (multi-product and multi-brand sales such as Amazon, eBay, Alibaba…). However, communication between a business and a client goes much further, since it is currently possible to make purchases through multiple digital and physical contact points, including social networks.
This study recognises around 8 media channels used by customers to communicate with companies, which must take care of them to secure business continuity and product popularity. “Shopping is an activity increasingly distributed across different channels”, Salesforce said during the presentation of the report to the media.
In addition, 83% of clients comment the experience provided by a company to users is as essential as products themselves, a conclusion revealing the effort companies have to undertake to retain customers and prevent them from going to the competition.
For the modern retailer, attracting clients to physical stores, getting to know and serve them wherever they are is the key to ensuring users do not leave you for your competitors. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to gather all the possible information (whatever its source) and cross-check it intelligently and efficiently, letting artificial intelligence algorithms do the hard work, a task just impossible to carry out manually not long ago to offer a best user experience.
