Technological development affects all industries, including retail. While the basic needs of retail remain the same, such as easy access and a satisfying selection, new technology is giving us new opportunities that affect our needs and how we conduct the buying process. Here are some of the key retail trends that will shape the year 2023.
Meet customers where they are
Customers have a better customer experience if they get customer service where they are, whether it's in-store, by message, on social media, by phone or by email. According to the Zendesk CX report for 2023, 64% will buy more if questions and problems in the buying process are resolved in the channel they already use. For B2C, social media availability, chatbots and instant assistance are especially important.
Phygital retail
Phygital or physical and digital retail is a fast, interactive and hyper-personalized shopping experience that combines the best of online and in-store shopping. Many digital stores are now choosing to open physical stores and many physical stores are choosing to go digital as well.
Examples of phygital shopping are:
- Intelligent fitting rooms that let customers find their size virtually
- Influencers and live streaming provide a digital experience of the products and can replace the need to touch and feel the products.
The benefits of phygital shopping are:
- Increased Net Promoter Scores (NPS). Customers become more satisfied with hyper-personalized customer experiences.
- Increased customer loyalty with great customer experiences.
- Increased conversion rates if customers engage.
- More customers through word-of-mouth.
Hyper-personalized customer experiences
To achieve hyper-personalized customer experiences, you need to collect enough data about your customers to know what they prefer. If you collect the information you have on the customer from previous purchases, wish lists, preferences and support requests (regardless of channel), you have enough data to provide hyper-personalized customer experiences. Combine this with AI technology and the information is used automatically:
- Consumers are served personalized content based on previous interactions.
- Customer care agents receive automatic suggestions to provide hyper-personalized customer experiences.
In Zendesk, agents can request AI-based smart assistance to get suggestions on how to handle an inquiry.
Here are some e-commerce integrations for Zendesk.
Metaverse
If the customer group exists in online communities (metaverse), you should also create customer experiences here. An example is Tommy Hilfiger, who organized a fashion show during New York Fashion Week, which was shown live to Roblox users. If the customer group does not exist in an online community, you can try to create one.
Sophisticated return incentives
Personalized return processes with incentives that offer customized offers are a key retail strategy to retain existing customers and increase the likelihood of their return. Sophisticated return incentives can be:
- Discount codes
- Free returns
- Free shipping and returns
- Give customers bonus points if they choose a reward app
Here are some return apps for Zendesk.
Access to correct and up-to-date knowledge for all customer care professionals
Knowledge is power, so all customer service agents need to be equipped with access to the same up-to-date information, whether they work in sales or support. One way is to give them access to an internal FAQ. An internal FAQ can contain information that is not for everyone's eyes, but that customer service representatives must have access to in order to have up-to-date information. This could be information that allows them to answer questions about production, country of production, ethical production, sustainability, internal routines, etc. If you combine an internal FAQ with an internal forum, customer service representatives will also have the opportunity to exchange experiences, discuss issues and provide input on deficiencies in the FAQ.
Modern consumers acquire a lot of information and want full transparency in the supply chains of the companies they buy from. It is important that customer service representatives have access to the same up-to-date information as consumers, to avoid consumers having more knowledge than customer service representatives. This is necessary to provide high quality customer service and ensure customer trust and loyalty.