In this article, we will explore how to create a cohesive customer experience for online sales and urban sales. We will discuss the importance of connecting the customer journey online and offline and how merchants can build a coherent experience for customers by defining brand experience, putting customers first, choosing the right channels, providing appropriate customer service, leveraging social media, participating in trade events, focusing on email customer experience, and piecing everything together to create a cohesive customer experience.
Defining the Experience
If you want to create a cohesive experience for shoppers, it’s helpful to first define what that experience is. It all starts with your brand story. You can build your brand story yourself, or if that’s a challenge, you can hire a specialized agency to do it for you.
Putting Customers First
When creating your customer experience, remember to put the customer first. Everything should be considered from the customer’s perspective. What do they do, what do they see, and in what context do they perceive and interact? A cohesive experience should minimize these concerns.
The Right Channels
Customers have an average of nine channels to choose from when making a purchase from a brand, and this number is expected to grow to 11 by 2018. This means there are plenty of potential touchpoints for your customers.
The Website
The website is a crucial tool regardless of how important your online selling is. The website should align with your brand identity and provide a seamless customer experience.
Your Retail Store
There are many ways to make the customer experience cohesive in your store. The in-store customer experience should be rooted in your brand identity and target audience.
Online Marketplace
Although online merchants have less control over the customer experience in online marketplaces like Amazon or eBay, these interactions with customers should not be overlooked. When considering the consistency across all channels, these online marketplaces still represent an extension of your brand.
Customer Service
Customer service should be consistent across all channels that customers interact with your support team. Your customer service team should be thorough in their responses, regardless of the channel. All general customer inquiries should be addressed promptly and in the same manner as you would respond to customer service communications.
Social Media
Social media is your outlet for the continuous broadcasting of your brand identity and customer engagement, enhancing the cohesive experience.
Trade Events
Selling products at events such as markets, fairs, or festivals is another important channel. Although it is not a permanent physical space, it still represents a significant part of the customer experience.
Whether you are using email to send sales and promotions, newsletters, customer support interactions, order updates, or receipts, every email matters and is considered a part of the customer experience.
Piecing It Together
Looking at the channels separately can be helpful, but viewing them as a whole can create the cohesion you need. After all, these channels work together, and customers interact with you in different ways at different stages of their purchase journey.
Conclusion
Merchants can create cohesive experiences online and offline, but analyzing and adapting them over time is what will give you a true competitive edge. Merchants must keep up with changes in consumer behavior and adjust accordingly to improve the customer experience.
Questions
Rumors about the Cohesive Customer Experience
What is a Cohesive Experience?
A cohesive experience is a unified, user-friendly, intuitive, and consistent experience across all platforms. It is a seamless and intuitive user experience, with a consistent look and feel throughout the product or service. It takes into account all aspects of the user experience, from the design of the product or service to how it operates, how it is marketed, and how it communicates.
What are the elements of a strong customer experience?
The elements of a strong customer experience include interacting with customers in meaningful ways, such as personal interactions, clarity in understanding all information they receive and how it affects them, personalization so that customers feel their needs are being addressed uniquely and individually, continuity in providing a consistent experience across multiple channels, empathy where customers feel understood by the company, providing feedback from customers and taking it seriously, and convenience where businesses should make it easy for customers to get what they need quickly and easily.
What is the difference between online customers and urban customers?
Online customers are those who purchase products or services online, while urban customers are those who purchase products or services in person, either in a physical store or through other means. Online customers have broader access to a variety of products and services and enjoy the convenience of shopping. On the other hand, urban customers often receive more personalized services and may be able to negotiate prices or receive discounts.
What is urban customer service?
Urban customer service is the service provided to customers while they are not connected online. This service can include in-person customer service, such as a customer service representative in a retail store, or phone customer service, like a customer service representative responding to a customer’s phone call. Urban customer service can also include email customer service, such as responding to customer inquiries sent via email.
What is the online customer experience?
The online customer experience is the overall experience a customer has when interacting with a business or service online. This includes interactions with the organization’s website, mobile app, social media, customer service, and any other online environment. Elements may include usability, design, convenience, and customer service.
What are the three levels of customer experience?
Functional Level: This is the basic level of customer experience, focusing on the technical aspects of delivering a product or service. It includes features, usability, and the performance of the product or service.
Emotional Level: This level of customer experience relates to connecting with customers on a deeper level, building relationships and trust. It involves understanding the customer’s needs and desires and providing solutions that meet those needs.
Experiential Level: This level of customer experience goes beyond the product or service itself to include the entire customer journey. It focuses on creating a comprehensive experience that exceeds customer expectations and leaves them with a positive impression of the brand.
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