Retailers today face a new reality — stores function as the fulfillment centers for their digital counterparts, and shoppers move fluidly between channels as they research, browse and buy. In fact, 25% of shoppers that start in store visit a digital channel during their buyer journey, while 35% that start in a digital channel go to a store during their purchase process, according to a survey from ForeSee.
The 2018 Retail Customer Experience (CX) Insights report ranked Amazon as the top CX retailer, with a 79.1 out of 100 composite score. Williams Sonoma (78.1), Kohl’s (77.9), Nordstrom (77.4%) and Neiman Marcus (77.3%) rounded out the top five brands in terms of experience offerings.
The report ranked winners in store, web and mobile experiences:
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- Apple, with a 76.4 rating, was the Store CX Winner. As many as 80% of Apple store visitors want assistance from store associates, ahead of the 66% visiting all retailers;
- Tractor Supply, with a 76.4 rating, was the Web CX Winner. Up to 60% of Tractor Supply customers have been to its web site at least once in the past 30 days. Customers rank Tractor Supply’s web experience more than six points higher than the top-50 retailer average; and
- Williams Sonoma, with a 78.1 rating, was the Mobile CX Winner. More than 20% of Williams Sonoma shoppers use the mobile site during the purchase process.
CX, Not Price, Will Drive Competition In 2018
Research findings also signal that the race to the bottom on price may be over, and that competing on customer experience is paramount for retailers:
- Only 6% of shoppers selected an item primarily because of price vs. retailer preference;
- Nearly 45% of buyers across channels say their most recent purchase was driven mostly by retailer preference;
- More than 75% say they shop at a preferred set of retailers, regardless of prices; and
- Overall environment, experience and findability rank as the top priorities for both in-store and digital purchasers.
The Foresee report is based on survey data from more than 40,000 shoppers across their store, web, and mobile experiences.
