Customer Experience 2017: This is what you should pay attention to

Generation Z as the new benchmark

McKinsey recently asked senior executives about their top priorities for successfully differentiating themselves from the competition. 90% of respondents named customer experience (CX) as one of their top 3. According to the latest study by Kantar Millward Brown, CX in 2017 is being shaped in particular by Generation Z, the 'Millenials' and 27% of the world's population. Born between 1997 and 2011, Gen Z will further increase the demands on retailers and their customer service. Accustomed to having any knowledge available without fuss or effort, they demand more transparency and an optimized way of communication. It wants to be informed at all times and be even more involved. Gen Z is about added value, about exchange, about activity instead of passivity.
A holistic shopping experience can therefore only be created through user-centric CX including far-reaching personalization. Think about your customer, their needs and problems. The most important question is: How can you improve his everyday life?

A satisfied customer is worth its weight in gold

According to IBM, 51% of customers who turned their back on a brand said they did so online because of a bad experience. With the loss of a customer, you may then also forfeit other potential buyers, because sharing opinions and experiences online is now part of the everyday life of an online shopper.
Gen Z is particularly moving away from brands that do not adapt or evolve, too little patience for outdated technologies and lack of communication. This is a danger that you as a retailer should by no means underestimate: an increase in customer satisfaction of 10 percentage points can already account for an increase in sales of 2-3 percent, an enormous potential.

What is the optimal customer experience?

Your Customer Journey and consequently Customer Experience cannot be improved if you don't know what your customer's experience is and how they rate it. Listen to your customer, observe and consider needs and demands. Effective CX creates specific, effective touchpoints between the brand, products or services and the consumer. These touchpoints can lead to emotional engagement. This, in turn, strengthens brand loyalty. Conversely, poor CX drives customers away, in the worst case, even in the long term.

Active communication with added value

Personalized targeting has potential and risks. As much as an open, tailored approach matters to Gen Z, overdoing it can quickly become intrusive and off-putting. You don't need to (just) sell, you need to add value. Open, transparent communication about every step of the shopping experience provides that added value to the customer without annoying them. Let your customer know that you care about them - even beyond the completion of the purchase. Proactive notifications in the shipping process, for example, are one way to round out your customer's experience and encourage even the demanding Gen Z to store again. A good customer experience is based on the adaptability of the retailer - to the wishes of the customer and the new possibilities of technology.