In Blog One of our Customer Touchpoints series, we introduced a four-part universal model of the Customer Journey. In the second, we contrasted how industry leaders think about the value of customer data integration in comparison to traditional retailers. We also identified four major use cases where retailers can leverage enterprise information while shoppers gain awareness of their wants and needs. In Blog Three, we covered the second quadrant of use cases in the customer journey in which shoppers are aware of their needs and wants and explore possibilities for fulfilling them.
In this blog, we trace the customer touchpoints during the actual shopping experience.
Please note the graphic below:
These touchpoints are designed to answer the specific questions the shopper is likely to ask:
WHAT ADDITIONAL BENEFIT CAN I GAIN WHEN I PURCHASE?
• POS Promo
Specific targeted offers are triggered based on factors such as the shopper’s history, item(s) in the shopping basket, promotional calendar, loyalty status, and history of promotional response—all the data that is ideally available in enterprise tables.
• Reward
Reward thresholds motivate the customer to augment the shopping basket or redeem a reward.
• Coupon Issue
Coupons are issued to the customer based on specific promotional offers.
• Receipt Print Promo
Special offers are packaged for presentation on the customer’s receipt.
• Call Center
For online or social purchases, the customer can obtain pertinent information through access to call center, chat, or other real-time service intervention.
CAN I TRY THIS OUT TO SEE IF I LIKE IT?
• Demo
Customer requests and receives a demonstration of important product features.
• Trial
Customer is offered the opportunity to try the item(s) for a limited time with the promise of return or automatic conversion to sale after the trial period.
• Fitting room
For footwear and apparel, customer is invited to try on the item in a real or virtual fitting room.
WILL THIS ITEM GO WITH OTHER STUFF I HAVE OR NEED?
• Cross-sell
Customer is reminded of item(s) that are typically purchased at the same time. Examples include ties that go well with a dress shirt or nets that typically sell with basketballs.
• Up-sell
Customer receives information (and potential offers) about the premium product in the category of their interest.
HOW DO I COMPLETE THIS PURCHASE?
• Selling
Customer either enters or scans the items they wish to purchase, or this is accomplished by an associate through one of the retailer’s devices.
• Check out
Customer pays for the merchandise either by retrieval of preferred payment method or a number of other payment vehicles ranging from cash and credit card to digital payments.
• Redemption
As a special case within check out, the customer redeems a credit, gift card, loyalty reward, etc. These depend on enterprise tables.
• Gift card
Customer may acquire a gift card in addition or lieu of purchasing items and services.
These 14 customer touchpoints provide you with a glimpse of how progressive retailers are injecting engagement into their traditional transaction services through online shopping, self-checkout techniques, mobile POS, kiosk, and numerous other innovations.
TAKEAWAY
A winning strategy for retailers of all forms is to fully integrate customer touchpoints into the customer purchase flow. These interventions, when done well, enrich the shopping experience. The only way to accomplish this result is to exploit up-to-date enterprise information about products, promos, and customers at all points of sale.
