34 | Resources
Whether we’re catching up with old friends on Facebook, sharing holiday snaps on Instagram or scrolling through Twitter in the morning for the latest news, social media has become part of our daily routine, writes Stuart Barker, portfolio director at Internet Retailing Expo (IRX), who explores the role these platforms are now playing in relaying brand and product information to customers …
Improving customer experience through technology Recent research by IRX found that social media influencers top the list of third parties who actively influence purchases – showing the truly significant impact they have on consumer decisions. These influencers have become more relevant to our shopping decisions than national newspapers, celebrities and fashion magazines. Yet, as influential as they are, brand is still king. Our research shows that consumers trust brands (45%) significantly more than online influencers (29%) for
“Our research shows that consumers trust brands significantly more than online influencers for shopping recommendations”
for providing the best delivery and returns service. Amazon’s rise shows the huge importance of fast and reliable delivery, with a smooth returns service, in building a successful online brand. When shopping online, consumers are able to benefit from tailored recommendations – an element that can be lacking in the in-store experience. Furthermore, online recommendations and promotions use data to ensure they are as personalised as possible, which in-store shopping struggles to compete with.
shopping recommendations – finding that promotions, advertising, and online and
when they could just get it now. This should
in-store experiences offered by brands have
encourage brands to boost their online
a difference in enhancing the in-store
more of an impact than online influencer
delivery options and offer convenient
experience for the customers – the use
campaigns. We’re used to the high street
return policies, enabling them to meet
of tablet computers for example, could
hitting the headlines each day, but it’s
the increasing expectation of instant
deliver the best of both worlds and excellent
encouraging news for any brand to see that
satisfaction that customers have when
customer service, linking the online
they still have the biggest influence over
buying products online.
and in-store shopping experience with
Online retail giant, Amazon, are a great
purchasing.
This is where technology could make
capabilities such as instant stock checks,
example of a brand that understands how
reserving goods, flexible delivery and
enough. Brands that are thriving in difficult
to get online experience right. According
tailored shopping recommendations based
times are those that go an extra mile with
to GlobalData, over half of Brits buy from
on previous purchases.
customer experience, for example, or
Amazon every month, with 84% of UK
through engaging marketing initiatives.
shoppers buying from Amazon last year.
ability to sway consumers into picking their
With one in every five pounds spent with
Their same- and next-day delivery services
products, and although a great marketing
UK retailers spent online, online experience
have led the way – research shows Amazon
strategy helps, maintaining a loyal customer
has become as important as in-store, and
topping the list of consumer-ranked brands
base means having excellent, friction-free,
However, having influence is still not
It is in every brand’s interest to have the
succeeding in an omnichannel environment
customer experiences online, in-store, or
means learning lessons from both.
both.
In-store shopping provides the
To achieve this, technology should be
opportunity to assess the quality of a
utilised at every step – whether it’s data
product before choosing to purchase, with
analytics in marketing, AI for personalised
recent research finding that 40% of female
product recommendations, in-store tablets
shoppers miss being able to experience the
or automated processes speeding up delivery
product’s look, feel and fit when they shop
and returns, the retailers defying trickier
online.
times will be those turning to technology to
The same goes for delivery – consumers question the need to wait around for days
augment promotions and recommendations strategies.
THE AUTHOR Stuart Barker is the portfolio director at Internet Retailing Expo (IRX), an annual ecommerce and digital marketing event and conference targeting multichannel retailers. The 2020 edition of IRX will take place on 1st and 2nd April at the Birmingham NEC. www.internetretailingexpo.com
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