Deep dive into Digital Experiences
With customer expectations ever-increasing, customers are demanding more from brands at every stage of the customer journey, including the digital experience, and there is a danger of being left behind.
Let’s deep dive
As consumers increasingly prefer to purchase, even big-ticket items, online, retail brands need to provide compelling reasons for consumers to buy direct from them and upping their game on the digital experience they provide across all stages of the customer journey.
As part of TribeCX’s mission to explore and share great CX examples and stories, in order to understand how to best apply across markets and industries, we invited some of our community to a virtual Hot House session to discuss great digital experiences across the following four key journey stages:
| Pre-purchase Journey | from discovery, and recommendations, to getting advice on the right one for your needs via the online demo, and chat to give the confidence to buy |
| Purchase & delivery journey | ease of buying, payment options, the flexibility of delivery time throughto actual delivery |
| Set-up & first-use journey | ease of buying, payment options, the flexibility of delivery time through actual delivery |
| Return journey | authorisation, packaging, labels, pick up, drop off, refund |
We have pulled together some strong examples and summaries of our discussion into what worked well, some of the risks, what we can learn, and how this could be applied.
Pre-purchase Journey
Peloton
The Peloton digital experience is driven by the ‘encouragement of use’; endorphins of making
the customer feels good for participating – using the product, trying different challenges – this
drives the whole experience.
With up to 90% of the experience online, customers want to make sure it’s worth the price
tag. Peloton knows that if a customer ‘trials’ their bikes for 30 days, they’ll be more likely to keep the
product. The deliberately designed 30-day home trial removes the hurdle of not knowing what the product is like or being able to test ‘in-store’.
Why a good experience?
Great branding and immediately reassuring – a 30-day money-back guarantee, no fuss or hassle.
The website is super slick, interactive, and dynamic – lots of videos showing what you get when you sign up or organise an appointment in a store.
Customer emotions
- Confident
- Motivated
- Peace of mind
Currys / PC World
Curry’s brings the digital experience to life through their website. Bringing the store experience online.
You can call an expert, or watch handy how-to videos… however, upon testing, the journey was inconsistent and unreliable.
With an inability to book a time slot, technology failing, and video quality being unavailable when on the call with an agent – the experience fell short of expectations.
The online experience sounds good but is inconsistent with the face-to-face experience.
Always make sure you’re able to deliver the intended experience no matter the channel.
Why a good experience?
The option to have a ShopLive advice session with a real person who can help with any questions, or queries with a product or spec.
A good example of the combination of human touch and digital enablement is personalised ability to speak to an expert and have your questions answered.
Customer emotions
- Excited
- Trustworthy
- Assured
- Confident
Purchase and Delivery journey
Amazon Go
Amazon Go uses digital technology, it works around you, there isn’t any inconvenience, and it’s easy to use. The in-store experience meets the digital experience.
This is how you take a pain point and make it seamless;
- Lines, checkouts, changing your mind with products
- Grab what you want, use your Amazon app to enter and pay, grab what you want, and simply exit when you’ve got your shopping
Why a good experience?
The Amazon Go concept uses advanced technology to have a frictionless exit from the store.
However, there are challenges with the model and Amazon has recently closed 8 out of the 23 stores in the US.
Customer emotions
- Confident
- Delighted
- Happy
DPD
DPD’s digital experience keeps you up to date with delivery times, giving you a window of an hour of when to expect your parcel. You are given driver details and a link for delivery options in case you’re not in.
This step is all about meeting expectations. Informing the customer of delivery, when it will be, where the product is, and simplifying this process.
Delivery drivers, however, are under pressure. This is where companies can get it wrong. Could have a great buying experience, but if this goes wrong, customers see the deliverer as the company – which needs to be consistent with the brand and set expectations.
Why a good experience?
Apple uses DPD to deliver items. Great notifications which tell the customer the delivery will be in a 1-hour slot. The package arrived exactly on time to the minute.
Customer emotions
- Confident
Set-up and First-use journey
Apple
Apple is very skilled at embedding products in your life; options to start a chat, we’re here when you need us. Although there can be some grumbles – too long to get an appointment when you need help – not like the first-use experience. How do they keep consistency?
Why a good experience?
From opening the white box, slowly through to turning on the device (which is already charged), the experience is special.
Customer emotions
- Excited
- Impressed
Samsung
Samsung has tutorial videos embedded into their digital experience on how to set up their products and equipment in your home. They’re easy to watch and they break it down for you.
Quick clear videos to help get started, even from unboxing a TV, with a step-by-step guide, and all stages of the setup process are easy to follow.
Why a good experience?
Samsung’s digital experience uses intuitive technology to give customers everything they need the minute they get the tv/product on. It automatically connects to other devices in the home, making installation smooth and seamless. Everything was immediately integrated.
Customer emotions
- Confident
- Supported
Return journey
Amazon
Amazon’s digital experience makes it easy to return on the app or online for any delivery or gift. You can manage returns from start to finish through your online account.
Amazon’s returns process is very easy and flexible with a no-questions-asked return.
Customers will get refunded the moment the package is processed, even before Amazon has received the item.
Why a good experience?
Printer-free returns via Post Office or other retailers such as Tesco Local, which has long opening hours so very convenient.
Tesco staff are also trained and prioritises returns.
Customer emotions
- Valued
- Assured
Bose
Bose’s digital experience offers clear instructions using visuals – broken down into the use of products eg. home, with easy-to-follow instructions.
Bose has straightforward options to repair or replace items if not working or are unwanted.
Why a good experience?
All you need is the serial number on your product’s original packaging. Support service for returns and replacements is all online.
Customer emotions
- Trusted
- Supported
Conclusion
As ever, delivering a great customer experience is easier said than done, especially if brands are working across different channels and balancing the need to make an easy, seamless experience whilst providing enough information to enable consumers to make a rapid and informed decision to buy.
Personalisation
Customers today expect a personalised shopping experience, where recommendations are tailored to their specific preferences and needs.
Retailers can achieve this by using data analytics to analyze customer data and create personalised recommendations based on past purchases, search history, and other relevant data.
Mobile optimisation
With more and more customers shopping on their mobile devices, it’s critical that retailers optimise their websites and apps for mobile use. This includes ensuring that the site is easy to navigate on a small screen, has fast load times, and supports mobile payments.
Omni-channel experience
A great digital retail experience should seamlessly integrate with the customer’s offline experiences.
Make sure branding and messaging are consistent across all channels, and integrate data and insights from all touchpoints.
Provide exceptional customer service. Give fast and helpful customer support, offer easy returns and exchanges, and proactively address customer issues before they become major problems.
Seamless checkout
A seamless checkout experience is critical to a great digital retail experience.
Retailers should ensure that their checkout process is intuitive, easy to navigate, and fast. This includes providing multiple payment options and a streamlined checkout process.
Here for you
If you’d like to talk more about digital experiences, we’re happy to help