'Is Customer really become a King'? A Tale of Retail Environment yet to be told...

In today's millennia era, what do you think is a marketer's record concern?

It is to preserve a customer’s brand loyalty. How obvious!

True, walk into any marketing conference. It is almost fashionable to assail the audience with words like brand loyalty, to be followed in the same breath by aspects like product features, discounts, price drops, user experience and on and on. Among these features, User Experience, UX, occupies a place of prime importance. In the competitive battlefield of the marketing world, this component is not just a measure of success; it ensures customer satisfaction which translates into brand loyalty.

And, as we all know, brand loyalty equals profits. But there is another angle to UX. It is CX.

To bring about a paradigm shift in attitudes of the current times, I am going to focus on Customer Experience CX which is a precursor to UX.

Did you know, not all millennials shop online?

Here is my reveal; they use their smartphones to compare and contrast prices and most importantly to read reviews. Arguably, the impact a review has on us is enormous.

Today's influencers are quick to blog and post their impressions of a brand/product. They use their FB page or any social media platform of their choice to share their experiences. With millions of follower tracking their feedback you can only imagine the level of punch or kiss their comments could give the brands.

Which brings me to my 'not-so-happening' memory of my visit to a high-end mall. I walked into a branded store to check out their season's collections. The salesperson came rushing to me thinking that I am his cash-cow. When I told him that I am 'just checking', he looked me up, slyly though, and walked off.

Now here is a crucial point: The salesman did not know nor was he trained to think that I can be his walkie-talkie advert for his store or more importantly his brand endorser.

As we know half of the CX is subconscious. Customer experience is the sum total of what the customer actually is. His wants, attitudes, his needs, likes, and so on. These feelings are driven by how the customer feels about the company thus boosting the sale or just the opposite by social media referrals, word-of-mouth referrals, direct conversations and such.

Thanks to Dr.Manmohan Singh's 1991 budget, liberalization opened doors to  international brands. This is when the game-changing journey of sellers’ market to buyer’s market began.

Today with so many international brands vying for my attention and wallet, I will put my last buck on experience. The experience of an feel-good in-shop episode or the thoughtful salesperson and such is most likely get your revered brand loyalty.

Come to think of it, emotion is the numero uno driver of customer experience. For eg: An angry experience can trigger feelings of mistrust which will soon alienate your buyers from the brand.

The emotional component

Price, quality, product feature, and such are the familiar metrics to evaluate companies. So, is it not novel to point out that emotional experience, EX, plays a much significant role than these prudent yardsticks for marketing gurus?

Why CX:

Here is what I observed. When my friends, colleagues visit western countries, the common takeaway is to compare an in-store visit to that in India. There, the Brands goes to great lengths to explain ‘The Why’ of their business, the ‘why they do what they do for a buyer’. This is in sharp contrast to their Indian Shopping environment who sees a consumer as an opportunity to achieve my sales target.

A company’s feelings for its buyer are the heart of any product/brand. When the 'Why" becomes important it embodies the heart and culture of the company.

It is no wonder then that the key players look towards their satisfied employees to draw up a strategized customer experience for a healthy customer satisfaction. 

Ripple effects

In a business when the complete marketing chain works in tandem with one another, it is best to suitably acknowledged each one's contribution. Everybody wins!

If the Indian Retail Industry wants to up its game, it needs to compare itself to our neighbor, the powerful China, or aspire to become like the western world. They need to up there antenna with the competent front-end sales force to ensure a brilliant job towards outstanding customer experience. Improving Customer Experience score card should be single largest Job to be done

Every window shoppers entering in the store should be treated like an opportunity to bring them into your tribe (even if they don’t buy). They are your word-of-mouth advertisers without the extra cost per reach. Though some brands do exceptionally great job but still there is long way to go.

My insight

“Selling is not a hardcore transaction; it is the heart of retailer that matters, and this includes every window shopper who is your potential buyer and at times can act as Brand Endorser! A Great CX is what all matters”

It’s not always about transactional sale; sometimes only emotional sale goes long way

Stay Inspired!

Dhaval