Investigating the Evolved Customer Journey: Trends, Challenges & Priorities
Retail Remix
· with Justin Racine & Zach Zalowitz
· March 18, 2024
· 28 min
Summary
This episode dissects the urgent need for retailers to unify digital and physical customer experiences. It highlights how accurate inventory visibility, robust omnichannel management, and a strong post-purchase strategy are crucial for driving in-store traffic, building loyalty, and converting customers in today's competitive landscape. Ecommerce operators will gain actionable strategies to bridge the online-offline gap and optimize the entire customer journey.
Key takeaways
Prioritize real-time, unified inventory visibility across all channels as a foundational element for seamless customer experiences (e.g., BOPIS, in-store availability).
Invest significantly in the post-purchase experience (order tracking, personalized follow-ups, easy returns) to transform one-time buyers into loyal, repeat customers.
Identify and optimize digital touchpoints (social media, location-based marketing, influencer collaborations) that effectively drive traffic to physical store locations.
Foster cross-functional collaboration between marketing, sales, operations, and customer service to seamlessly guide customers through the "bottom of the funnel" and secure conversions.
Analyze and remove friction points in the customer journey from online browsing to in-store interactions and post-purchase support to ensure brand consistency.
Retailers know that digital influences the customer journey, from initial awareness to post-purchase. So why is there still such a staggering divide between consumers’ digital and physical brand experiences?We explore the gaps, challenges and opportunities on this week’s Retail Remix with Justin Racine and Zach Zalowitz of Perficient. Together with host Alicia Esposito, they explore: The key digital influencers for in-store traffic and activation; The increasingly central role of inventory visibility and omnichannel inventory management in the customer experience; Why retailers should place more emphasis on the post-purchase experience; andHow different retail teams and functions can support the bottom of the funnel, which is becoming a new “battleground” for retailers.RELATED LINKSLearn more about PerficientDownload Retail TouchPoints’ research on retailers’ omnichannel challenges and prioritiesRead our coverage of the post-purchase experience]]>
Frequently asked about this episode
What does this episode say about retail & omnichannel?
Prioritize real-time, unified inventory visibility across all channels as a foundational element for seamless customer experiences (e.g., BOPIS, in-store availability).
What does this episode say about customer retention?
Invest significantly in the post-purchase experience (order tracking, personalized follow-ups, easy returns) to transform one-time buyers into loyal, repeat customers.
What does this episode say about supply chain & operations?
Identify and optimize digital touchpoints (social media, location-based marketing, influencer collaborations) that effectively drive traffic to physical store locations.
What does this episode say about conversion & cro?
Foster cross-functional collaboration between marketing, sales, operations, and customer service to seamlessly guide customers through the "bottom of the funnel" and secure conversions.
What does this episode say about retail & omnichannel?
Analyze and remove friction points in the customer journey from online browsing to in-store interactions and post-purchase support to ensure brand consistency.
