At River Island, ensuring a positive customer experience (CX) has always been our core focus. We aim to not only provide shoppers with what they want, but exceed their expectations, as we inspire them to become loyal to our brand and return time and time again.
If Adobe and Econsultancy’s latest Digital Trends 2018 report is anything to go by, prioritising CX is actually key to success. The firms polled 13,000 marketing, creative and technology professionals in the EMEA, US and APAC, assessing key trends affecting short-term digital strategies.
According to the study, cited by Retail Times, 45% of firms rank CX as one of their top three priorities for 2018, with it being a primary focus for 20%. Meanwhile, 62% said they now have a “cohesive plan, long-term view and executive support for the future of [their] customer.”
Cross-collaboration critical to success
Ensuring positive CX is no longer the sole responsibility of the marketing team, with the study finding that the most effective strategies see creative, content, marketing and web departments working together as a cohesive unit.
When strategies are cross-team, customer-centric and customer-led, brands are almost twice as likely to surpass their business goals, the report found. Also, companies that utilise tools to unify workflows between various functions are 62% more likely to demonstrate enhanced business performance.
Additionally, brands who rank top of the list are nearly four times as likely as their mid-level peers to be using a highly-integrated, cloud-based technology stack that grants them a more thorough view of the customer lifecycle, from acquisition to retention. That said, 43% of those polled confessed their current tech is fragmented and inconsistent.
AI within CX execution
In terms of technology, artificial intelligence (AI) is driving CX execution. This is most evident for bigger businesses, where just under a quarter (24%) are investing in AI.
The survey found that AI’s implementation is driven from the top, with 57% of c-suite employees saying their companies are using, or planning to use, the tech. When companies use AI-led tools to develop real-time, personalised customer experiences, they stand a 50% greater chance of exceeding business goals.
The cloud and AI are just two of the technologies we’re exploring at River Island, as we continue to embark on our digital transformation. But, as we adopt new tools and ways of working, CX remains at the heart of everything we do. If you have the skills and know-how to help us in our goal to become a leading digital retailer, take a look at our CX vacancies now.
Sources:
https://econsultancy.com/reports/digital-intelligence-briefing-2018-digital-trends/
http://www.retailtimes.co.uk/businesses-prioritise-customer-experience-significantly-outperform-competitors-finds-adobe/