Adapting Your Customer Experience for the Digital Age

Robot-made cocktails. Drone-delivered hot dogs. Facial recognition ordering.

Hold on to your hoverboard—the future has arrived.

From restaurant and retail to c-store, healthcare, and every industry in between, it’s rare to find a customer experience that isn’t touched by technology. And this digital omnipresence means brands that aren’t willing to adapt and evolve with customer expectations run the risk of being left behind.

This isn’t to say that traditional customer service and etiquette are dead. It does mean that brands must deliver a pleasant, personal experience and keep up with driving technological enhancements fueled by the latest consumer trends. Customers have more ordering options and ways to get their purchases than ever before, with things like:

• Branded apps
• Kiosks + mobile pay
• Online ordering + BOPIS (buy online, pick-up in-store)
• Scan + go (self-service)
• Third-party delivery

While it may seem overwhelming for brands to understand how these digital interactions impact the customer experience, it’s time to stop worrying about e-commerce channels and start optimizing them.

Why customers want convenience and customization

With so many potential touchpoints, brands are now challenged with providing an experience that meets these 2 basic needs of consumers:

1. Convenience: Customers expect quick-and-easy experiences with technology, want the flexibility of ordering items from the comfort of home, and expect 24/7 access.
2. Customization: Technology offers customers a customized experience, from what they order to how they pick it up. And with recognition capabilities, repeat purchases allow for more personalization.

How tech users prioritize speed and ease

While traditional aspects of the experience are important (such as staff friendliness and value), what makes for a highly satisfying experience changes when technology is factored in. Across industries, tech users are ranking Speed and “Ease of” measures as more important to Overall Satisfaction.

For example, when we reviewed findings across retailers offering BOPIS, we saw that Speed of Checkout/Pickup was a more important key driver of Overall Satisfaction for those customers compared to traditional in-store shoppers. We also found that kiosk and self-checkout customers are often less satisfied with Speed of Checkout and more likely to experience a problem. These customers expect a swift, seamless process and unfortunately, aren’t always receiving it.

The customer journey is constantly evolving

With the continuous and rapid rise of digital commerce, customers have more ways than ever to interact with a brand—and many are preferring the convenience those digital channels offer. In fact, 73% of consumers use multiple channels during their shopping journey.

Supporting your customers across multiple channels

Because there are more digital touchpoints available, customer expectations are at an all-time high. The brands who win their loyalty will be the ones who can deliver on convenience and customization. To learn more on what customers expect from their digital commerce experience (and beyond), read the report: 3 things every retailer needs to know about cross-channel shoppers.