The retail sector has been in a state of flux for some time now, and the pandemic is only accelerating the pace. The year 2022 will certainly be no exception, but will bring new trends and changes that require online retailers to be sharp and smart to ensure growth and profitability.
The digital revolution of recent years is reflected as an explosion in digital commerce, and the focus of development has largely been on digital services. But as the pandemic eases, the focus needs to shift from the individual channel to the entire business – how do we make eCommerce and brick-and-mortars play seamlessly together?
Pay attention to the product experience when you want to build an excellent customer experience
In an omnichannel retail environment, the importance of a smooth shopping experience is highlighted when customers move from one channel to another as they progress along the shopping path. The customer experience should be seamless, regardless of the point of contact – whether the customer is in a brick-and-mortar store, online, on a social media portal or on the phone with the retailer. Retailers should therefore pay attention to issues such as the accuracy and timeliness of product information, the quality of customer service, and the use of customer data in every channel.
The product experience is an important part of the customer experience. However, managing the product experience is a stumbling block for many in omnichannel retailing, as maintaining product information across multiple channels, for example, creates unnecessary manual work, and increases the risk of human error. Optimally, rich product data reinforces a positive product experience. However, the information must be timely, consistent, relevant and easily accessible across all channels. The most effective way to ensure quality product information management is to use a PIM, or Product Information Management System.
As a result of an excellent product experience, complaints and returns are also reduced when the product meets customer expectations. For example, images and usage/help videos are an important part of a quality product experience.
A personalized shopping experience through AI
Artificial intelligence has been discussed for years, but now is the time to jump on board. AI opens up countless new doors for online retailers to reach customers and improve their shopping experience.
AI is able to learn about customer buying behavior, which can be used to target more relevant communications to the customer, and suggest highly personalized product recommendations. Personalized messages, marketing and products are more effective than generic, mass-targeted communications. That’s why high-quality product recommendations that customers are interested in also improve the customer experience, which, in the long run, creates loyalty and increases the amount of cash that rolls in to your cash register.
Chatbots also use AI to learn how to serve customers better. AI can make shopping more convenient, faster and simpler, which is an asset in today’s eCommerce business. AI can also be a useful tool for anticipating market changes. For example, the information generated by AI enables more accurate pricing or predictions on when products sell out.
With the right tools, you can create a more personalized shopping experience for your customers. You can use marketing tools, product information management systems and artificial intelligence. With PIM, the eCommerce can be built agilely to include, for example, customer-specific selections or organize products in categories based on the customer’s previous searches and eCommerce browsing history.
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