TRANSFORMING THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY INTO A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

Seismic shift may be seem hyperbolic, but significant change is most certainly underway in the retail marketplace and the relationship between retailer and customer.  Although change can be threatening and require some new thinking, one basic tenet is essential and immutable: the customer is the central feature in retail. In this regard, whether in bricks and mortar or on line, the prominence of the customer journey is the new normal.    However, in it’s many characterizations, the customer journey is often limited to the path the customer takes from first impression to check out.   

Herein lies the opportunity to make the customer journey sustainable, engaging and valuable.    Retail and consumption, especially with apparel and footwear, have been challenged recently with resource management, environmental stewardship and a level of awareness about consequences that is not going away. To the credit of many retailers and manufacturers, we have seen some meaningful efforts to address these critical issues and many new changes are in play.  

There is an opportunity to have a greater impact. Now is the time to extend the customer journey and introduce recycling as a service that transforms the customer journey into a personal experience. By offering the customer an opportunity to participate in a recycling solution, we are creating a new ROI. By including the customer in the solution itself, we are introducing a "Return on Involvement". Today’s customers are savvy and a have deeper interest in the entire retail process and its implications. By inviting them to participate in the simple act of recycling clothing, shoes and accessories from the convenience of their own home, we are creating a trackable, reportable and measurable event that is singularly personal and impactful. While relatively new, the benefits are real and tangible.  Customers are more engaged, inspired and involved, thereby extending the customer journey to a place with more meaning, impact and brand value.

Integrating the recycling experience into the customer journey is a triple win: the retailer engages the customer in a personal and impactful solution; the customer is involved with the retailer at a new level of engagement, and together we benefit from better resource management and environmental rewards.