The ability to deliver exceptional customer experiences is a top way to drive revenue in the retail industry, and companies who’ve worked hard to develop and implement strong customer service are reaping the benefits.
One of the main facets of delivering these strong customer experiences is the ability to put Retail Analytics to good use, often referred to as actionable analytics. These tools make it possible for retailers to influence positive change more quickly and efficiently than ever before.
In this article, we’ll discuss in-depth the ways that data analytics can improve omni-channel customer experiences. You’ll learn more about the customer experience, what customers truly want, which metrics are most important, and what actionable analytics really are. When you cater to customers with an omni-channel presence, it’s even more critical to offer an engaging and unified customer experience.
Ready to take your customer experiences to the next level and boost your revenues? If yes, then read on!
The Customer Experience and Why It Truly Matters
How many times have you done business with a company only to have a terrible experience with their customer support department? Did you feel like doing business with them again after this incident? When it comes to the customer experience, rolling out the red carpet for customers is a highly valuable strategy. It’s not just about doing nice things for your customers – it’s about managing the customer’s perception of your company at every step of the path to purchase.
If someone talks to Sally on the store floor and she is rude, that customer will likely think poorly of the entire company. Great customer experiences are engineered to avoid these incidents, which can tarnish even the most positive reputation. Everything from your company’s e-mails to the sales process to what happens after the sale is critical to ensure an exceptional customer experience and the upholding of your company’s reputation.
What Customers Really Want
Customers want an exceptional customer experience. According to Salesforce, 50% of customers will choose a new company to shop with if the first company doesn’t anticipate their needs. That’s huge. Not only do they want an exceptional customer experience, but customers will leave and go elsewhere if they aren’t satisfied. So, what does an exceptional customer experience entail?
Well, in a retail experience, customers want shopping to be convenient, frictionless, and fun. In all industries, customers want exceptional service. Customers have come to expect world-class service from large and small retailers alike.
In addition, customers want a personalized customer experience. Individualized service makes customers feel special, and that’s the warm and fuzzy feeling that they want.
Perhaps more than anything, customers want to know that they’re working with a trustworthy and knowledgeable company. Customer experiences need to be tailored and delivered with genuine care and attention.
The Retail Analytics Metrics You Need to Know About
When it comes to using data to improve customer experiences, you’re probably wondering which metrics are truly important. Do page visits and traffic matter? Of course they’re important, but they aren’t as important in customer experience as you might think. Instead, you’ll need to gather and focus on metrics such as overall customer satisfaction through surveys, the number of customers helped and replies to resolutions, and conversions completed. Repeat visits, customer attrition, social media mentions, and average ticket size can all be reflective of how your customers are responding to your brand experience.
These are the metrics that are going to help you identify what your customers really want and create an exceptional customer experience.
Using Actionable Analytics
Now that you know which metrics you’ll need to deliver that amazing customer experience, you’re probably wondering how to bridge the gap between data and action. With actionable analytics, you’ll use the information gathered from your customers to create personalized customer experiences.
For instance, you can create targeted CRM marketing lists to reach specific segments of clients. Taking your data from information to action is critical – use those metrics to make connections with your customers.
Conclusion
An omni-channel customer experience must be tethered together by the commonalities of data, and all of this can be gained by measuring your customer actions through metrics. When you turn those metrics into actionable analytics, however, you’ve unlocked the most potential you can get from your hard-earned metrics.