NOT a 2019 CX Predictions Blog

Happy New Year, one and all.

As you've noticed, my name isn't Mystic Mason.

And sadly, predicting the future isn't one of my superpowers. (Otherwise, I'd be buying a lottery ticket instead of writing a blog!)

However, I am a keen Customer Experience industry watcher and I enjoy observing consumer behaviour and technology trends around CX. So I thought I'd pen a forecast based on the current trajectory of this exciting and dynamic industry.

These things WILL happen and I reckon they'll happen this year. (Disclaimer: If they don't I refer you to my opening remarks.)

Nine for Nineteen: My Top CX Trends for the New Year

Consumer Industries

• Bifurcation – Funny word, eh? It just means "dividing into two branches". High Street retailers understand they need to be the cheapest or the best. And by "best" I mean the richest experience. The mediocre middle-ground retailers will continue to struggle. (Read more in my blog here.)
• Correction Continues – Bifurcation is only one factor in the retail correction. Traditional legacy retailers need to flip their thinking. In 2019 off-line retail is there to support a core digital business, not vice versa. This requires a fundamental shift in thinking. In addition, many of our town centres are on life support and both central and local government need to help out (e.g. lowering business rates and scrapping parking charges among other strategies).

Commentary: The good news is that once the correction is complete retail has a bright future. The main reason for my optimism is fundamental. CX engages ALL the senses: visual, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory and gustatory (VAKOG for short). Online will only do two out of five for the foreseeable future!

Online Ecommerce

• Bot-mediation – Buyers will become increasingly 'time poor', yet still demand value for money. AI-driven agents can do the heavy lifting for consumers and negotiate the best deals available. No need to spend hours online dodging banner advertising.
• PIMPs – To support our antonymous personal shopper bots we need an up-to-date profile of our needs, wants and preferences. And we must retain full control and ownership of this data (i.e. not owned by our social media providers). Cue the personal information management platform (PIMP). Read more in my blog here.

Commentary: And it's not all sunshine for the online pure-play retailers. As free shipping becomes the expected norm and product return rates spiral, ecommerce margins will be cut to the bone. Some product categories (like womem's fashion) are experiencing 50% return rates.

Digital Marketing

• Authenticity / Trust – Brands find that authenticity and trust are more elusive than ever as savvy consumers see through their strategies. Unless your approach truly puts your customers at the centre you'll be quickly exposed. Consumers are more promiscuous with their spending that ever, so if you try to 'game' them, they'll simply move on.
• Influencer Influenza (also known as 'fake friend flu') – The quest for trust has led to many brands hiring social media influencers to entice consumers to follow these 'fake friends'. But evidence suggests that the impact of sponsored posts is diminishing. Consumers are increasingly turning to by micro-influencers for guidance – the average Joe / Jane who they can personally identify with (rather than aspire to be!)

Commentary: Full frontal, in-your-face marketing is becoming less effective. In fact, it's being seen as intrusive. Consumers will happily install ad blockers on their digital devices and fast-forward past TV adverts. Increasingly, marketing is about 'nudging' consumers to favour your products or services. The best nudges come from friends, family, working colleagues or those micro-influencers, so customer service and advocacy are increasingly important, and these are often outside the regular CMOs brief!

Business-to-Business

• B2B ? B2C ? CX – So far we've only been considering the retail consumer you might think (B2C industries). But business-to-business (B2B) buyers are increasingly getting an appetite for the level of customer experience that they receive at home. This brings me to the world of Account-Based Marketing (ABM) where AI and machine learning (ML) will make a big impact. Interventions and 'next best actions' will be recommended by AI-driven sales coaches. No more guesswork.

Commentary: Some still believe that B2B is simpler due to the lower transaction volumes and closer relationships between the buyer and seller. Nothing could be further from the truth. The average B2B buying group is around five people, with similarly sized selling teams at the vendor. The relationship permutations and potential interventions, therefore is massively more complex than the point-to-point brand-consumer relationship. Technology can go a long way to addressing these complexities.

Other CX Trends

• Ambient CX – There's a quieter revolution happening in CX. Our lives are continually being underpinned and augmented by technology. We're glued to our smartphones. Wearable tech is now the norm (like smart watches). And the 'internet of things' -- all those other devices and sensors connected to the internet -- is enhancing every aspect of our lives from voice assistants (like Alexa, Siri or Cortana) to in-car entertainment. The silent march of Ambient CX will continue almost unnoticed
• Digital Backlash – The physical and digital worlds will continue to throw stones and abuse at each other until they learn to get along. Expect a rising movement of 'enlightened' individuals who turn their back on the tsunami of digital services, especially those that overtly steal our time.

Commentary: Society is becoming increasingly aware of the physical and mental health impact of unconstrained access digital media. Whether it's online gaming, social networking, or e-commerce, without limits it can have a massive impact on our well being and family life. But is this a new phenomenon? Is this any different from those Generation X kids listening to Radio Luxembourg on their transistor radios in the small hours of the night? I know as a pre-internet teenager I used to invest (?) hours on so-called hobbies that I never confessed to. Parents are beginning to realise that the digital genie is out of the bottle and they need to actively control the 'screen time' of their kids. But setting a positive example is often easier said than done!

Over To You ...

What CX trends do you think will sweep us away in 2019? I'd love to hear your observations and opinions.

Oh, and I'm planning to get back to my CX Shorts series soon.

I enjoy blogging about Customer Experience, Digital Marketing and Innovation. Recent CX Shorts in this series include:

• CX Shorts: What The Hell Is Bifurcation?
• CX Shorts: A Hiker's Guide To Customer Experience
• CX Shorts: Sam Walton Talks CX Leadership
• CX Shorts: Goldilocx And The Three Brands
• CX Shorts: Is Your Brand Snow White? Or Has It Drifted?
• CX Shorts: Why Did The Customer Cross The Road?
• CX Shorts: In Quest Of The PERFECT Customer Relationship
• CX Shorts: The Perils Of A Perfect Persona
• CX Shorts: IKEA - More Than A Flat-Pack Customer Experience

You can view my other blog posts here. And why not follow me on Twitter: @CxDaryn