Nowadays, it’s more important than ever to create a great customer experience. If you work for a multichannel retailer, you’re not only competing with brick-and-mortar counterparts, but also online pure-plays like Amazon.
So how can you stand out? Customer-centricity, of course!
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Best-in-class retailers are embracing customer relationship management (CRM) platforms to create a 360-degree view of customers, their purchasing history and their overall preferences. With this information in tow, merchants are creating more relevant and compelling experiences – especially as consumers shift to digital interactions.
“As interaction channels shift to Social, CRM provides brands with an opportunity and greater access to listen and engage in consistent two-way communication with customers,” said Connor Marsden, U.S. Lead for Microsoft Dynamics CRM. “There is a marked shift in the way companies interact with consumers, especially with the popularity of social sites. Through CRM, marketers and business executives can quickly respond and create messaging across their brand in a manner that reflects the sentiment of consumers. CRM solutions enable faster communication and transparency which increases their attachment and engagement, leading to more beneficial relationships and revenue potential.”
With a vision to become the “world’s most recognized jewelry brand,” Pandora also has a mission “to offer women high quality, hand-finished, modern and genuine jewelry at affordable prices,” said Phillip Kennedy, Director of IT for Pandora, in an interview withRetail TouchPoints. “The vision and missions both are communicated throughout our entire organization.”
To ensure all customers have a great experience while browsing and buying, Pandora has recently increased its investment in customer relationship management (CRM). After initially implementing Microsoft Dynamics in 2009, CRM “has evolved into a system that touches almost every aspect of our business — from marketing to sales, merchandising and consumer affairs,” Kennedy said. Microsoft Dynamics also plays a role in IT management and operations, and helps the retailer develop comprehensive reports for various areas of the business.
“We needed a system that provided the tools to better capture data being collected by our visual merchandisers in the field,” Kennedy explained. Measuring and monitoring visual merchandisers’ performance, as well as overall merchandise compliance, became more important to Pandora as the business grew.
So how can other retailers learn from Pandora?
“Pandora is a great example of the possibilities available to retailers looking to improve business processes, create amazing customer experiences, and drive tighter engagement with their customers,” Marsden explained. "The Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution enables teams to better integrate across business processes and creates consistent brand experiences for customers. Through intuitive technology, the entire business can work in a cohesive and productive manner that saves time, money and contributes to the overall bottom line. These business benefits create a strong foundation that helps the enterprise reach its full potential.“
