The customer journey in the era of digitization

The journey taken by a customer to a retailer’s products and services is fragmenting online just as it is offline. The digitization of our lives is providing more and more possibilities for communication and disseminating information. This is a complex challenge for retailers who need to bear in mind numerous touchpoints.

Analogue customer communication

In the analogue age, marketing communication almost only ever went one way – from the provider to the (prospective) customer. If brand manufacturers and retailers wanted to reach their target groups, they had to put up a lot of money. Traditional communication channels from this era are still very popular with many companies to this day. Digitization, the expansion of Internet use in all segments of the population and the rising use of mobile devices has fundamentally changed how customers and retailers communicate: it is increasingly becoming a two-way street.

Digital customer communication

Possibilities for dialogue, dynamically created content, targeting: the things digital customer communication can achieve are impressive, particularly when it comes to the efficiency of these measures. From the point of view of customers and retailers, digital communication is characterized by a synthesis of traditional forms and the fascinating possibilities of experimentation. The customer journey of today links analogue and digital touchpoints.

Lots of touchpoints, one customer journey

Changes in consumer habits are leading to tried-and-tested structures becoming ineffective. The Internet, smartphones, tablets and communication channels such as messaging or chat have become a part of our everyday lives. This means it is essential for customers to be accompanied seamlessly across all touchpoints: from the initial interest in a product, through to advice, the purchase itself and customer care. This pays for itself since satisfied customers may well become repeat customers. However this can only be achieved via a seamless customer journey and by making information on customers and products available at all the touchpoints.

Offering the right experiences at the right time through a positive customer journey

Customer satisfaction is the end result of positive experiences with a service provider. The experiences should be positive at all the touchpoints in order to persuade a prospective customer to become paying customer. This means the right communication needs to take place at the right point in time. If the retailer manages to convince the customer on each leg of the journey, or exceed their expectations, the customer will not only be satisfied but enthusiastic as well.

Customer communication is changing through digitization

New technologies such as blockchain and ever larger computing capacities are reducing the costs of acquiring and storing data. In most cases, a customer journey begins on a website, within marketplaces or on social media channels, and this is where the customer data should be collected. Chatbots are one way for this to take place. With intelligently prepared dialogue, these can help with gathering information and segmenting queries. Artificial intelligence enables this data to be continually improved and processes to be optimized. This enhances the customer experience, provides valuable information and reduces the need for human resources since automated dialogue means real employees are not needed until a later point in time.