Bad Timing

Why would send me an email promoting your new product

...when right at that moment if I go to your website I get this?

The Coffee Run Made Easier

Cookie Help

The Cookie Legislation is complicated for both consumers and marketers so I was really impressed with the way BT explained how the various levels of cookie use on BT.com affected me, the consumer.

By dragging from right to left, I was able to understand the Targeting, Functional or Strictly Necessary and Performance features related to my cookie preference.

Nice one BT

Wise Words From a Customer Service Manager

''We don't think about call handling time. Every customer is different and every answer is similarly different. If a call takes 20 minutes to resolve it takes 20 minutes. If it takes 5, it takes 5''

Customer Service Manager Schuh

A leaf out of another on line shoes retailers customer service bible?



In the dictionary, under Customer Service it says Zappos Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

In The Dictionary, Under Customer Service It Says 'See Zappos' Part 3

Practise What You Preach

And that's something Zappos certainly do. Here are some examples of how they go the extra mile

Zappos sent flowers to a woman who had ordered multiple pairs of shoes to cope with her medical condition*

A Zappos employee went to a local mall ( that's shopping centre to us Europeans) to buy a lady her favourite shoes as they had run out of stock at Zappos**
There are no scripts in the call centre and there is no maximum call time***

What about customer testimonials? Here are a few

I have never experienced such fantastic customer service as I have from your phone order specialists. This was the third pair of shoes (from my original order). I spoke to a Customer Loyalty Representative and I truly felt like I was speaking to a friend. He asked me about my day and what I was going to do and actually commented on it! I was looking for a very specific style of shoe and actually went into a Clark's store to try them on. They fit like a glove and I knew I would order them through Zappos! I received them the next day, wore them yesterday and they are perfect. I don't know how you hire your people, but you should give the entire industry a class on Superior Customer Service and how to delight your customers

This will not be a lengthy thing. I just want to tell you that I have had numerous contracts with your organization. In every instance, I have to tell you NEVER and I mean NEVER have I been treated better. Please, please check your records of my phone calls with your people and give every one of them a huge ‘atta boy’. I will close this by saying I am 75 years old and never have I had better service and the politeness of your people just make it even better. THANK YOU FOR BEING THE TYPE OF ORGANIZATION YOU ARE AND PLEASE DON'T CHANGE. Thanks again

All taken from the Zappos testimonials page

And this plug for a book gives another view

Easy to see why Amazon bought them

* http://consumerist.com/2011/01/zappos-customer-service-reps-kindness-warms-our-cold-hearts.html

** http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/2662-The-Zappos-Effect-5-Great-Customer-Service-Ideas-for-Smaller-Businesses
*** http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2005-12-04/a-shine-on-their-shoes

In The Dictionary, Under Customer Service It Says 'See Zappos' Part 2

It starts at the top

Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh states that if we're serious about building our brand  then "customer service shouldn't be just a department. It should be the entire company." If they get the culture right, everything else will file into place.
Everyone hired has to go through two interviews, and there's really more stress put on being able to fit into the culture just as much as performance. In fact, if you treat the bus driver poorly on the shuttle ride from the airport, Zappos won't hire you.

"Everyone hired into our headquarters goes through the exact same training as our call center reps," Hsieh said *

Our philosophy has been that most of the money we might ordinarily have spent on advertising should be invested in customer service, so that our customers will do the marketing for us through word of mouth.**

Business Insider interviewed senior brand marketing manager Michelle Thomas and director of customer loyalty Rob Siefker about Zappos' CRM-oriented corporate culture.

Zappos offers free returns no questions asked. This is part of the company's appeal but it must also be a significant cost. How does it helps or hurt Zappos' margins? Does the company ever discusses reining it in or outsourcing it?

Siefker: Returns are part of our business model. In fact, we encourage customers to order multiple sizes if they’re unsure of what to order, and then they can return the size that doesn’t work for them. It’s really how you want to look at it, but providing this service is an investment we make in order to provide the best possible service for our customers. We have customer reviews and we add details for products in order to help customers with their shopping experience, and that assists them with their shopping.

Does it prevent your from discounting or otherwise competing on price?

Michelle Thomas: In the end, we’re trying to provide the best possible customer experience, and do so in a fun and high touch manner. We have great customer friendly policies, an amazing selection, and super fast, free shipping

Have you ever considered moving call center services to a foreign country or anything like that?

Siefker: No, we haven’t talked about that at all. In 2004, the company headquarters was moved to Las Vegas and growing the call center was a big part of the decision to move. We wanted everyone to remain close, and we wanted to make sure we reinforced our service culture.

How long does it take to train a Zappos call-taker?

Siefker: All new hires in Las Vegas go through four weeks of initial training. This is for everyone, no matter what job they will actually do after the four weeks. It incorporates a lot things, and a big focus is on helping our customers. We do this because we want everyone to have the experience of talking with our customers, and it also helps us during the holidays when we need everyone to put in hours to help our customers. Contact center employees have an additional three weeks of training after the first four weeks, so for them it’s a total of seven weeks before it’s full speed ahead in the call center.

Zappos uses its customer calls in its advertising. Was that your idea or your ad agency Mullen's idea? What is your annual advertising budget?

Thomas: For the “Happy People Making People Happy” campaign in 2010, we did use customer calls as a way to demonstrate the need to support the three C’s: clothing, customer service, and culture (we’ve since added a 4th C for community). During the initial RFP process, [ad agency] Mullen took a deep dive into the culture and sat in on actual customer calls. They were inspired by the power of our Customer Loyalty Team and simply found a way to take one of our best assets and best branding devices and make it fun and interesting. In fact, we just broke our longest call record with an eight-hour and 47 minute call! 
 
The focus of your advertising is often on customer service, rather than on shoes and shoe brands. Discuss the challenge there -- after all, people shop for shoes because they want shoes, not because they want good service.

Thomas: We definitely have a lot of layers to our communications strategy and use different media to message different things. One definite challenge is that we are still seen as a shoe retailer when in fact we sell much more than that! Our product catalog spans from clothing to footwear to house wares to beauty to accessories and even sporting goods! Perceptions are not easy to change overnight unless you’re willing to be bold. The one constant is that we are a service company that happens to sell __________ (fill in the blank). Our biggest efforts revolve around building likeability around our brand so that consumers turn to a brand that they trust, find reliable, and have an emotional connection with. That’s where service comes in***

*Read More :  http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/zappos-ceo-company-culture-is-higher-priority-than-customer-service/59245 

** Read More  http://hbr.org/2010/07/how-i-did-it-zapposs-ceo-on-going-to-extremes-for-customers/ar/1 
***Read more: http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-01-09/news/30606433_1_customer-service-zappos-center-services#ixzz22SvtqK9J

Part 3 Monday Practise What You Preach

It's Not Your CRM That's Broken - It's Your Customers

12 Bizarre Customer Service Queries Courtesy of Workbooks

In The Dictionary, Under Customer Service It Says 'See Zappos' Part 1

Customer Service is not just a mission statement although it helps if it's part of your core values

As it is for Zappos

1. Deliver Wow Through Service

Core Values Frog (or CVF for short) thinks anything worth doing is worth doing with WOW. To WOW, CVF differentiates himself by doing things in an unconventional and innovative way. He goes above and beyond the average level of service to create an emotional impact on the receiver and give them a positive story they can take with them the rest of their lives.

2. Embrace And Drive Change

CVF can not only handle constant change, but expects it and embraces it with open arms. CVF never accepts or becomes comfortable with the status quo, but is always thinking of ways to change processes, perspectives, and opinions, hopefully for the better. Without change, CVF can’t continue to provide the superior service that is the Zappos Family trademark.

3. Create Fun And A Little Weirdness

CVF has a sense of humor; he knows that it’s good to laugh at yourself every once in a while. Work shouldn’t be synonymous with drudgery; CVF can find fun and weirdness even when the rubber meets the road and we’re getting lots done. Being a little weird requires being a little innovative, and CVF is always looking for a chance to fully engage in his work and bring out the fun and weird side of it.

4. Be Adventurous, Creative And Open-Minded

CVF is bold without being reckless. He’s not afraid to make mistakes, because after all, that’s often the best way to learn. CVF takes risks and is open to his friends taking risks too, as long as we learn from them as a team and use them to make better decisions in the future. CVF believes in a gut feeling; everyone can develop a gut feeling about business decisions as long as they are open to new ideas and the possibility of failure.

5. Pursue Growth And Learning

CVF S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-S himself both personally and professionally. He never feels stuck in a rut, as there are no dead end jobs at the Zappos Family of companies. CVF knows that inside himself and every Zappos Family employee is more potential than we even realize. CVF works to constantly unlock that potential, both in himself and his co-workers. We’ll “never get it right,” but that’s the challenge we gladly accept. The only way CVF can solve new problems that arise is by learning and growing himself to meet them head-on.

6. Build Open And Honest Relationships With Communication

CVF is an open book; his honesty when interacting with others leads to strong relationships built on trust and faith. He can use these strong relationships to accomplish so much more than he could otherwise. It’s not easy getting there! CVF always acts with integrity, is compassionate and loyal, and is a good listener. At the end of the day it’s not what we say or do, but how we make people feel that matters the most. CVF cares about others, both personally and professionally.

7. Build A Positive Team And Family Spirit

CVF wants to build not just a team, but a family. CVF as a manager serves those he leads by removing obstacles and enabling his direct reports to succeed. The best decisions and ideas are made from the bottom up, and CVF wants to foster that on his team. As a team member, he takes initiative when he notices issues and collaborates with his team to address them. Beyond that, we watch out for each other, care for each other. We work together and play together, because our bonds go beyond the typical co-worker relationship.

8. Do More With Less

CVF is always on the lookout for how to make himself more efficient and improve our operations at Zappos Family companies. There is always room for improvement and CVF always feels a sense of urgency when making those improvements. CVF wants us to not only be great service companies, but the greatest service companies in the world! We strive to set and exceed our own high standards for getting more done with the same or even fewer resources than before.

9. Be Passionate And Determined

What keeps CVF going? It’s passion for our business and our culture. We’re inspired because we believe in what we are doing and where we’re going. We don’t take “that’ll never work” for an answer. A lot of people told us that selling shoes online would never work; imagine if we had listened to them! CVF has a positive and optimistic attitude, because this inspires everyone around him.

10. Be Humble

CVF knows that despite all the great things the Zappos Family has accomplished in the past, there will always be challenges ahead. No matter what happens, CVF is always respectful of everyone. CVF loves to celebrate our individual and team successes, but not in an arrogant or boastful way. We believe in a quiet confidence, as in the long run our character will speak for itself.

http://about.zappos.com/jobs/why-work-zappos/core-values

 Part 2 Tomorrow - It Starts at the Top

Polite Notice

Staniforth’s Bakers, near Barnsley, have put up a sign that ‘politely’ tells customers not to be on their mobile phones when it’s their turn to be served – if they are they won’t get served.


 “We just don’t serve the customers. It’s ignorant being on the phone while you’re getting served.”


And so say all of us!

A Better Customer Experience Makes Business Sense

It's a natural reaction to suggestions to improve customer experience - 'How much will it cost if I do?'

When a more telling question would be, 'How much will it cost me if I don't ?'

You work it out

86% of customers will pay more for a better customer experience

89% of consumers began doing business with a competitor following a
poor customer experience.

79% of consumers who shared complaints about poor customer

experience online had their complaints ignored.                

  Customer Experience Impact Report : Right Now

European Business Review

78% of consumers have bailed on a transaction or not made an intended purchase because of a poor service experience.

3 in 5 Americans (59%) would try a new brand or company for a better service experience



In 2011, 7 in 10 Americans said they were willing to spend more with companies they believe provide excellent customer service.



Americans tell an average of 9 people about good experiences,and tell 16 (nearly two times more) people about poor experiences.

American Express Survey, 2011

On average, loyal customers are worth up to10 times as much as their first purchase

For every customer who bothers to complain, 26 other customers remain silent.

White House Office of Consumer Affairs

In the last year, 67% of customers have hung up the phone out of frustration they could not talk to a real person.

Consumer Reports Survey, 2011

Roughly 80% of customer service tweets are negative or critical in nature.

Touch Survey

"There are many who subscribe to the convention that service is a business cost, but our data demonstrates that superior service is an investment that can help drive business growth. Investing in quality talent, and ensuring they have the skills, training and tools that enable them to empathize and actively listen to customers are central to providing consistently excellent service experiences.” Jim Bush, executive VP, American Express

Sources

http://www.rightnow.com/files/analyst-reports/RightNow_Customer_Experience_Impact_Report_North_America_2011.pdf

http://www.europeanbusinessreview.com/?p=1467

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/index.htm

http://about.americanexpress.com/news/pr/2011/csbar.aspx

http://www.customer1.com/blog/customer-service-statistics

Experience Matters

Set the scene in a laboratory

A human has 2 buttons to push
Every time they push the small red button food is dispensed
Every time they push the square blue button nothing happens

Result

Every time the human gets hungry they push the red button and will pay little attention if any to the blue
(Ok so maybe this was done somewhere with chimps but I didn't want to hurt any animals in making this blog post)
So, experience matters. As humans we are are obviously wired to go to where we have a rewarding experience.

Now let's get the Brand team involved.

When we ask these subjects, I mean consumers, how they felt about the red button they will probably translate the dispensing of food into statements such as

..an enjoyable experience,

.. A button that matched my lifestyle, for people like me

...something I'd recommend to my friends.

You get the picture
The consumer's experience is defining the brand rather than the actual colour or shape of the button

Loyalty

What if every now and again , the pressing of the red button results in no food? Previous experience results in us giving them a second or third chance because it has served us so well in the past.
But if it continues to fail to meet our expectations, then I can imagine the blue button beginning to seem more attractive...especially as we get hungry

Consistently meeting our expectations to a certain extent buys loyalty - for a while

Is it Really That Hard?

As consumers we all live busy lives and more often than not, don't really have the time to give Brands a second opportunity  when they get it wrong

As brands, how difficult is to understand this and do our best to get things right first time with the really easy things?

The Times

I'd love to get free access to your digital version this weekend , thank you

But if this what I get when i click though..

I might not try again

And this follows on from my experience with Kiehl's this week.( Free Shipping, Or Not Free Shipping?)

It's now 4 days since I highlighted the problem 

They never fixed the initial problem,and now when you click on the Free Shipping offer you get sent to another Free Delivery Offer for Father's Day

Now there are certain brands that you might always forgive for making mistakes. In my case, I'll forgive Kiehl's and will no doubt shop with them again...but will point out mistakes to them in the future if I spot something knowing that they might not bother doing anything about it?

In particular when another brand, although slowly, did respond and do something about it

They sent me an email extending the offer. Funnily enough I got a Customer Survey through from Jigsaw this morning and am pretty much positive about the experience

But how likely am I to forgive a brand that I'm not already a customer/fan of?..And what's the impact? Interesting infographic published by FastCompany last year

Original article can be found here

We've Made Shopping Easier

Burton recently made some improvements to the customer experience when shopping on line with them.

1 - Chances are you've come to the Burton site to do some shopping, so why would the brand want to make it difficult for you to do the thing you want to do?

Some of the ugliest sites on the web are actually the best at what they do. Think Amazon, Google, Facebook.

As Gerry McGovern stated at the Fusion Marketing Experience event I attended last year, 


Ease of use is a tsunami ripping across the world. It is no longer a nice phrase, a nice to have. It is a vital necessity. If you don’t make it fast and easy you lose customers. Fact. The easier you make it the more customers you win. Fact. 

2 and 3 - yes we live in a digital world, but that doesn't mean we can ignore the physical world either. I often combine the digital and physical in my shopping experience to the extent that I order on line and pick up in store as that's convenient for me. In some instances I've even used the delivery locks used by both Amazon and Figleaves ByBox.

4 - Mobile is everywhere and if I am in desperate need of a pair of Burton carrot jeans then  giving me a simple , easy to use mobile site is key. According to this infographic from HighTable, 1/3 of consumers now cite mobile as their preferred shopping channel.


 

5 - With most of taking more notice of our peers than brands, ''25% of consumers trust advertising, while more than 90% trust peer reviews'' (Edelman) and the e-tailing group stating that  ''Customers Reviews, Q&A, and Community Forums were the top 3 social tactics, respectively,that consumers say have the greatest impact on purchase decisions'' ,it make sense to add this functionality to the site. One of the real factors in Amazons success is the way they have used Ratings and Reviews to really help the consumer in their purchase.


I for one welcome all this good work by Burton, although I'm not sure I'm not going to be tempted by those shorts.

Customer Experience -The New Conversation

Every customer experience or touchpoint is an Ask, Listen and Learn Opportunity

The Wikipedia entry defines customer experience as
'the sum of all experiences a customer has with a supplier of goods or services, over the duration of their relationship with that supplier. From awareness, discovery, attraction, interaction, purchase, use, cultivation and advocacy. It can also be used to mean an individual experience over one transaction; the distinction is usually clear in context.'


And to be honest I'm not going to argue with that. That seems to cover all the aspects of actually communicating with the company, the buying experience, using the product, service across all channels both off and on line.


Where I slightly disagree with the article is that it seems to suggest that Customer Experience (CX), seems to be at odds with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) which is defined as


'a widely implemented strategy for managing a company’s interactions with customers, clients and sales prospects. It involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize business processes—principally sales activities, but also those for marketing, customer service and technical support. The overall goals are to find, attract, and win new clients, nurture and retain those the company already has, entice former clients back into the fold, and reduce the costs of marketing and client service.Customer relationship management describes a company-wide business strategy including customer-interface departments as well as other departments.Measuring and valuing customer relationships is critical to implementing this strategy'


Phew! Quite a mouthful.


This contrasts with the definition I have been using recently with my clients. that CRM is


'CRM is a business philosophy to strengthen the connection between the brand and the consumer. The relationship has to be mutually beneficial and consumers shape how they want to engage.


This to me is closer to the truth. In particular the area around being 'mutually beneficial'. And combining this with the definition of CX we start to get back to basics. This is all about Marketing.


In the Good? Bad ? old days we used to look at Marketing as being all about the 4 P's ( I know sometimes it's 6 or 7)


Price Promotion Product Place


These consist of the following:

• Product - A product is seen as an item that satisfies what a consumer needs or wants. It is a tangible good or an intangible service. and we want to sell it

• Price – The price is the amount a customer pays for the product and we are willing to sell at.

• Promotion - represents all of the methods of communication that a marketer may use to provide information to different parties about the product. 

• Place - refers to providing the product at a place which is convenient for consumers to access. 

The 4 P's are still with us, it's just that they are a little more complicated in today's interactive, socially charged, real time world.

• Product - Is now more often than not more than the tangible product itself but the whole customer experience around it

• Price – The price is less of a constant than it used to be. With consumers today being able to in most cases get it cheaper elsewhere what differentiates a brand is the customer experience

• Promotion -It's not longer just brand to consumer messaging but also consumer to consumer and even manufacturer to consumer

• Place - Well that can now mean anytime anyplace anytime anyhow

CRM and Customer Experience run hand in hand with each other to deliver the 4 P's today


Whats important to us as Marketers hoping to influence the 4 P's ( we do want to do that don't we), is that actually every customer touch-point and experience is an opportunity to Ask, Listen and Learn, with a view to improving the customer experience


Of course I don't mean actually ask, but everything we present to a customer - email, price, shelf layout - is actually a question ' do you like what you see?'


Which obviously means that every reaction from the customer should be listened too and observed, with a view to learning what works and what doesn't.


It really isn't more complicated than understanding that conversation

It's Not Rocket Science - 4

Making it easy for me to do what I want to is good eCRM. Turning Product Registration into a Market Research Exercise is not.

As an avid gardener (not), I decided on a new hedge trimmer ( watch out for my next post from A&E).

Having seen the opportunity to win £10,000 by registering the product..I thought why not?

Now having seen the generic landing page I kind of thought Bosch could have made my life easier with a link to the actual registration page, or at least when I got to www.boschgarden.co.uk , it would be easy to find the registration page

Think again...

But in for a penny, in for £10,000 I carry on.

So I'm thinking next stage you will ask a little about me, and I'm right. But do you really need my date of birth?

And check out the clause to get me entered into the prize draw..it involves me opting into 3rd party marketing!

But from here on in it gets worse!!

Followed by

and just when you thought it couldn't get any worse!!!

I wanted to register a hedge trimmer not give you my life history!

As a consumer I have no idea why you want all this stuff ( as a marketer I do). Please think of me first and your segmentation/profiling/targeting second

It's Not Rocket Science!

Multi-Channel Expectations

Customers more likely to become loyal where the multi-channel shopping experience is integrated.

A recent whitepaper  (registration required) from Hybris highlighted how this was particularly relevant for the in-store experience where 19% of customers said they browsed on their mobile device. this was mainly to compare prices, 66% but also to compare products, 27%. Only 7% did as I did today when shopping for tile cleaning solutions, and read online reviews

It was interesting to note how the online purchase mirrored the experience in-store, with customer highlighting Easy Navigation and being able to see product (images) being key.

Buying online didn't mean they all wanted to return items via the post or by courier. Almost half wanted the option to return items to the store - a service which more and more of the UK retailers are already providing, M&S, House of Fraser, Reiss, Ted Baker all do this.

The report highlights the fact that customers who use more than one channel show greater brand loyalty and spend 30% more where they are offered an integrated multi-channel experience. None more so than me who will even get items delivered to a store in a city i'm visiting for the day on business. So I'm more likely to stick with retailers such as John Lewis and House of Fraser where I can order today at home but pick up after a meeting in London tomorrow.

Of course what tops the experience off is the level of communication I get from all these brands via email and SMS letting me know at what stage the order is. None get much better than ASOS at this who even let you cancel the order if it is yet to be processed ( especially useful if you've forgotten to use your 15% off code first time round!)

The need to integrate the experience through web and offline has never been greater!

Funnily enough, shipping costs (48%) was more likely to prevent a sales than the item being out of stock (Interesting!)

Seamless Customer Experience - Well Not Quite!

Maybe it's because I talk about Customer Experience that I notice these things - but surely it rubs 'normal' people the wrong when brand get it annoyingly wrong...especially when I get two in one day.

BMI

I'm flying to take part in the 3rd Fusion Marketing Experience tomorrow, and booked with BMI who ,as with most other international airlines offer online check in for their flights

Now I like online check-in, if only because it often means an extra 30 minutes in bed for an early departure from home.

So, I've booked via the BMI website, and do realise that I am actually travelling with one of their partners - SN Brussels. But that matter not to me, as far as I am concerned its BMI.

I duly get my confirmation email

that obviously confirms everything and has the following link,

Fantastic! Especially about the Online Check-in...''Check-in online to save time at the airport" ..Music to my ears.

So, my flight is at 10.40am and it gets to 11am the day before and I'm itching to check-in

What do I get as I try?

Ouch! I'm sure I have the right booking reference. I'm sure I've booked a flight!

After 3 attempts, I decide to ring the number at which point I get told that as the flight is not operated by BMI I can't check in online.

Now I'm slightly irritated. But I decide to check on that original link that actually does lead me to a page telling me just that.

And to rub the wound with a little salt, I get an email at 3pm saying

But why could you not have put that into the original confirmation email? We have the technology honestly!!

Talking of technology..

TFM&A - Manchester


and I quote..

MANCHESTER'S PREMIER EVENT FOR MARKETING AND DIGITAL COMMERCE

So I get an email from them again today,with

Hi Gianfranco,We'd like to invite you to an exclusive programme of keynote content ateCommerce Expo & TFM&A Manchester, designed to support you on your marketing and ecommerce journey. And what better way to stay on top of the latest trends than hearing it straight from the companies driving the industry forward?

and the link.

An I think..I'm registered for the event. But you know, maybe I thought I had and I'll just register now.

So I click!

Double ouch!

I know we have the technology..it's in the conference name ( I'm sure that's what the T is for? 

I wonder if any of the exhibitors might help out next year

Shopkick - Digital Rewards for Physical Shopping

Shopkick is a mobile app ( on both iPhone and Android so they get my vote!) that aims to reward customers for shopping and browsing. 

It hands out virtual points to consumers even for entering a store like Macys, Toys R Us and Best Buy in the US.

It even links to the customers Visa Card to ensure that points are awarded for using that card and promises to reward customers with free coffees etc as you are recognised when you enter the store. It also has the ability to share other customers product reviews.

I think this is a great example of using digital technology to reward and enhance the customer experience with the clever use of data, content and context as I highlighted in yesterday's post on being customer centric

The video below gives you a flavour of the offering

Bricks and Mortar and Customer Centricity

The rumours persist -  'Amazon to open physical stores'

This story has been running since the end of last year and the debate rages as to whether the stores might be a Costco approach, pile it high and sell it cheap, or whether it might be a boutique offering that promotes primarily its Kindle range of e-readers

Whatever the outcome, or indeed even if the rumours are true, it does suggest that the role of bricks and mortar will not vanish for a quite a while yet.

Who would have thought 10 years ago that Apple would have a part to play on the high street? Have you been in an Apple store recently. Even when they are not introducing a new version of the iPad etc, the stores are always full of customers.

Why?

It's because they understand their customer.

Not all customers are truly IT savvy and feel immediately comfortable in switching from a PC to a Mac so they want to touch and feel the product and get some face to face advice.

Not all customers once they've bought the kit are happy to wade through on line tutorials on how to get the most out of the iCloud, so are ok with sitting in one of the free workshops which as Apple say

' are taught by people passionate and knowledgeable about Apple products and eager to share their knowledge with you. You’ll have a great time, learn new skills and pick up loads of tips '

Not all customers can solve their technical problems, so why not step up to the Genius Bar? 

Even the way that sales can be processed via hand held devices so there is no real till point is all about making the customer experience second to none. and you haven't opened the box yet!!

They didn't set about by setting a a target for store turnover. They started out by setting a vision of an environment that would make their customers lives better and easier. That's what being customer centric means, and in Apple's case making the store cool enough to hang out at.

We often think that customer centricity is all about data. And to a large extent data helps us understand our customers but being customer centric is thinking about customer needs and wants. 

Yes it is about an amazing in store experience but it is of course also about understanding that customer journeys are not straight forward and don't always start at 'A' and finish at 'B'.

It's about understanding that at different points in that journey their needs will vary. As I write this I came across a nice post from Hubspot on How to Design a Persona Centric Website Experience . And although web specific this section seems very relevant

Segment by Demographics: Start developing personas by researching your existing customer base to identify the most common buyers for your products and services. You may have several different types of buyers, so give each one a detailed description, including name, job title or role, industry or company info, and demographic info.

Identify Their Needs: What are the biggest problems they are trying to solve? What do they need most? What information are they typically searching for? What trends are influencing their business or personal success?

Develop Behavior-Based Profiles: What do they do online? Are they active on Twitter, Facebook, or other social networks? What kind of search terms do they use? What kind of information do they tend to consume online? Which of your products do they spend the most time researching? How do they use those products?

In the words of Kristin Zhivago one of the presenters at the Fusion Marketing Experience, 

“Marketers spend the bulk of their time on internal politics and learning new tools – out of necessity. But all this knowledge is worthless without a personal, in-depth understanding of what customers are really looking for and how they want to go about buying it,”

This is certainly something Best Buy considered when they set up their interactive screens in stores for customers who wanted to touch and feel the equipment but also wanted information and reviews on the product.


If a product needs 'test driving, whether that's a new computer, a car..or a new fragrance, stores still have the upper hand. The trick is to make the experience so amazing,  that the customers buys there and then..and not from an online retailer later on in the day.


But if they do, it's from the brands own e-commerce offering.