People are always going to go shopping. A lot of our effort is just: ‘How do we make the retail experience a great one?’ – Sir Philip Green In today’s omni-channel world of retail, customer centricity is vital to a successful strategy, but how many retailers are actually maximising on the customer journey? As a consumer, think of all the times you have walked into a retailer, made a single purchase, left and never heard from or seen that retailer again. While data begi
ns to be captured and utilised through apps and loyalty schemes, ultimately the lonely and somewhat isolated journey of a single customer transaction is a familiar one for most Australian retailers, practiced and delivered with consistent monotony.
What an amazing opportunity if these single customer transactions were possibly repeated by the same customer at increasing regularity, possibly even aggregated to a multiple sale.
The mind boggles that perhaps that single transaction could even be added and multiplied so the lonely days of a single walk in transaction might even be an occurrence of the past.
Put yourself in the shoes of these single transactions with so much potential. What are they really looking for? We believe that they are out there, waiting in homes across the country, isolated to a boring mundane retail experience yet craving the company of a digitally connected ‘omni-channel’ retail community, an advertising campaign that speaks to them and inspires them to aggregate with like-minded potential single transactions before they even leave their home.
Their isolation and loneliness is released with that smart ‘fit’ retailer who can reach these potential transactions leading, motivating and guiding them to their place for the consummate consumer experience, and moving single transactions to a multiple spending frenzy.
Although their transactional loneliness is forever a thing of the past when waving goodbye to their retailer of choice, aggregated and motivated by the post retail experience where their retailer of choice soothes with a brilliantly ‘fit’ post sales experience.
Now a member of the database, reviewing welcoming and targeted offers, this single transaction is single no longer, now repaying such retailer skills with unwavering loyalty, commitment and spend at many times the multiple of the lonely single transaction.
Isn’t it interesting that in the days of reported omni-channel, speaking of the customer journey, that only the more enlightened retailers are actually thinking about and investing in the complete pre sale, instore, and post store experience?
Understanding the correct customer pre sales and post sales experience is increasingly where retail advocacy will be won or lost.
Happy fit retailing.
Brian Walker is Founder and CEO of Retail Doctor Group and can be contacted on (02) 9460 2882 orbrian@retaildoctor.com.au.
