Seeking the customer in the new normal

There is no doubt that 2020 has been a different year that, among other things, has exposed so many people and so many relationships to the digital channel that April is considered to be a five-year leap in eight weeks. That is what the study launched by Wunderman Thompson Technology indicates.

Since that time all companies have experienced a shift to technology with a very clear focus: accelerating innovation in the customer experience. Customers have jumped into the digital sea with many more needs than brands had anticipated. 

But what are consumers really looking for? 

After the confinement, most companies have resumed or accelerated digitalisation programmes. But it is curious to see that consumers' potential pain points are still very basic. The top 3 frustrations are:

• Speed: 37% say that websites are slow. 
• Lack of intelligence in advertising systems: 33% point to Targeted ads as the cause. Customers say they feel "persecuted". 
• Need to rethink the experience: 29% point to websites that are difficult to navigate (not very intuitive).

The study shows how in these early months there is a shift towards investment in platform architecture, covering simple infrastructure with the prospect of being more cost-effective in the longer term, when enhanced and advanced features need to be added. 

Many brands are also prioritising a responsive mobile website over creating pages with dynamic visual features that, while more eye-catching, can slow down load times and can lose potential customers in a highly competitive environment. 

The path to a personalised experience. 

It is the most effective way to build strong and relevant relationships with customers who demand unique treatment and feel valued in the loop. The results of a personalised service are highly profitable but require a prior investment where technology and data work in tandem. 

The reality is that personalisation only works when the consumer is not aware of it. Curated content is useless without proper targeting. If content is dynamically assembled and optimised according to the audience it has a significant impact on how content is created, managed, retrieved, displayed and measured.

We know that consumers and brands have very different priorities when it comes to an omni-channel experience. While around 42% of consumers say that smooth navigation is a top expectation, only 11% of decision-makers think that a connected, omni-channel experience is the most important factor for a great customer experience.
 

Bottom line...

Companies are prioritising customer experience and actively setting budgets and initiatives to improve their competitive advantage.

The problem is that there are more pressing matters to attend to first at a time when online experiences are under such scrutiny: ensuring services run as smoothly as possible must be the priority to satisfy users. 

Targeted ads based on third party data can alienate customers and make them feel persecuted. Think about how targeted advertising becomes more integrated into the overall experience and make it go unnoticed, at this point what customers demand is a recognition of loyalty.

Read the full report here.