Huffington Post, UK: Cognizant’s UK Head of Retail, Consumer Goods, Travel & Hospitality Consulting Says Successful Retailers are Using Customer and Territory Data to Determine the Extent of Customer Engagement

“Companies are told that the customer expects the same level of brand engagement whether in-store, on a phone, a computer, tablet or mobile and by delivering this, the customer will remain a loyal shopper, spend more, returning again and again,” says Trish Young. “However, there is no one-size-fits-all and every retailer must understand that just as customers come in all shapes and sizes, so do shopping habits and experiences.” Excerpts:

“Some customers like to buy several variations or sizes of one particular item, returning at a later date to take back unwanted goods.

Others prefer to do their research online before going in-store to complete a transaction, whereas there are some who like to physically inspect a product before buying online for convenience of delivery.

What is universal is today’s shoppers’ increasing impatience with the check-out process. We have all seen customers leave a purchase behind if there is a long queue or delay in being able to complete the transaction. The same applies to online shopping.

While there is no doubt that retailers need to optimize their continued physical presence, they must still continue to invest in and build on more recent channels of engagement, including their mobile offering.

Retailers must look at all online interactions and build a picture of each individual customer from the wealth of personal data generated from product reviews, enquiries, actual sales transactions, and social media engagements.

The most successful retailers are using a mixture of customer and territory data — in a transparent manner — to determine the extent of customer engagement.

The winners understand there is fine balance to tread between engagement leading to transaction and loyalty versus customer fatigue and sales abandonment.

It is a complex picture, but with an understanding of order, product, inventory, pricing and the customer, underpinned by an omnichannel infrastructure and experience, there is also a huge opportunity for retailers.”

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