Ask Ecommerce marketers what their ultimate challenge is and nine times out of ten their answer is: Customer Experience Optimization. The theme has been high on every trend list worldwide for several years now. And that applies to both B2C and B2B. Yet not every organization works with a strict Customer Experience strategy. This means opportunities remain unused. After all, as personal as possible, by dates driven Customer Experience results in more loyalty, more repeat purchases and more conversion.
In 2019, a joint research by Econsultancy and Adobe identified optimizing the customer experience as the trend of the new decade. "Without exception, large organizations see data-driven marketing, focused on the individual buying experience, as the most exciting challenge for the coming years," the researchers said. 'In addition, data is seen as the ultimate game changer and management and ownership of data as a very dominant theme.'
More loyalty, more satisfaction, more orders. That is the measurable benefit of data-driven Customer Experience optimisation'.
There's no doubt that Customer Experience (CX) is making a difference in the competitive global Ecommerce landscape. Customer Support specialist Genesys (Daly City, US, operating worldwide) reports significant improvements in customer loyalty (+42%), customer satisfaction (+33%) and cross- and up-selling (+32%) based on practical experience. Various studies indicate that consumers reward an optimal digital Customer Experience with more orders and especially recommendations that have a greater impact than expensive paid advertising campaigns. Millennials and Generation Z in particular prefer sales channels that guarantee a digital experience that does justice to previous search and purchase behaviour.
But what is a Great Customer Experience exactly? There are plenty of examples in both B2C and B2B. Some of them go way back. In the first years of 2000, Microsoft managed to turn the tide in a positive direction by actively involving its B2B customers in the product development process. This 'democratisation of access to technology', as the improved customer journey has been called, gave the Tech-giant a considerable boost. Differentiated use of social media continues to result in a high level of engagement.
In Customer Experience optimisation, the customer leads the dance'.
Andere veelgenoemde voorbeelden zijn AirBnNb en Booking.com. Voor beide merken geldt: de klant leidt de dans, wij volgen. Met de optimale inzet van customer data maken ze die claim waar. Ook wereldmerken als McDonalds en Adidas zijn vaak genoemde succesvoorbeelden van de ultieme digital Customer Experience, waarin maatwerk en personalisatie van de customer journey op basis van data centraal staan.
These and other examples show again and again that consistent collection, analysis and application of data is at the heart of the digital customer journey. In other words, data collection systems and channels are the foundation of a successful Customer Experience strategy. And just as important is the full integration of those systems and channels into everyday, operational Ecommerce and IT processes.
360⁰ insight into your customers starts at the source, with customer data
It's an open door, but it can't be stressed enough. In order to have an active and interactive relationship with your customers, you need to know your customers first and foremost. And that starts at the source, with data. To ensure that you actually have a 360⁰ view of your customers, all data from all sales channels is essential. How customers behave in your physical store is at least as important for the profile as their online search and purchase behavior, their social media experience, and the information that you generate through customer service channels, robotic or otherwise. In short, there are mountains of data involved. And the 'golden mountain' that you build up with this, steers the targeted, preferably personalized actions offline and online that determine the quality and effectiveness of the Customer Experience.
The bottom line is that companies that innovatively and intelligently harness the potential of customer data make the difference. Successful Customer Experience optimization exists by the grace of focusing on customer data. With the following key points:
- Appropriate application of customer data for customer segmentation and targeting;'.
- Ongoing analysis and upgrading of customer profiles to provide a holistic understanding of customer characteristics, preferences and drivers;
- Integration of data, marketing and IT tools for maximum efficiency in operational sales, marketing and Ecommerce processes.
Direct access to CDP offerings
Knowing your customers, following your customers, exceeding the expectations of your customers with appropriate propositions. And that through all channels. In short, that is the essence of Customer Experience optimization. And it's an open-ended process in which customer data plays a key role. If you want to keep the game manageable, you can no longer avoid investing in a suitable CDP solution. If you are out of the wide CDP range By making the selection that is right for your Ecommerce business, you will be laying a solid foundation for your Customer Experience strategy.
