Has the internet changed the nature of the way shopping occurs in stores these days? more
In today’s typical retail environment customer intelligence is fragmented and only captured in the minds of the sales associate. Furthermore, there is no real way to enter it into a central repository other than the dreaded “black book” of the individual sales associate.
In today’s typical retail environment customer intelligence is fragmented and only captured in the minds of the sales associate. Furthermore, there is no real way to enter it into a central repository other than the dreaded “black book” of the individual sales associate.
In fact this data really belongs to the retail store but since it is scattered in the minds and black books of the sales associate it generally walks out the door when the sales associate leave for another position (while they also take a few good customers with them).
There has got to be a better way!
Let’s look at what is Customer Intelligence. If a customer tries on a blouse and didn’t buy it – that’s customer intelligence. If a customer spends 2 hours in the cosmetics department and bought nothing – that’s customer intelligence. If a customer also visited a store 10 times but only made a purchase 8 times - that’s 20% lost opportunity sales. Now that’s real Customer Intelligence.
There are 2 main ways to gather this kind of Customer Intelligence: via touch points and interactions. And then this type of data resides with a sales associate or stays in their black book it becomes stale and a very ad hoc way of providing good customer service.
For example if a customer mentions they are shopping today because they are going on a trip to Hawaii. The typical sales associate would note that in their black book and refer to it the next time they see the customer to ask them: “Hey how was Hawaii?” Using a tickler file or a black book isn’t that sophisticated after hundreds of years in retail. And moreover sales associates are notorious for hording this information at the customer level to prove their value. But this type of customer intelligence can be hugely valuable when aggregated at the company level.
Don’t forget at least 90% of all commerce takes place in the physical world. And a true 360 degree view of a customer is a myth just like loch ness monster. It only lives in the hearts and minds of the sales person not for those that are looking to create Exceptional Customer Service.
