During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, retailers were forced to be scrappy — making quick decisions to provide the products and services customers needed, from curbside pickup to virtual styling. Now retailers are seeking to scale these short-term solutions, as shoppers have more channels, options and expectations than ever before (not to mention less patience). In fact, the vast majority (80%) of shoppers will abandon a retailer after three bad experiences.
For the Fourth Edition of the Connected Shoppers Report, Salesforce surveyed 1,600 global shoppers and more than 1,000 retail executives to understand how both rising expectations and the global health crisis are pushing brands and retailers to accelerate digital transformation.
To give brands and retailers the insights they need to move from scrappy to scale, we’ve compiled the top four trends from the report. Findings reveal:
- Shopping journeys are more complex;
- The store has gone digital;
- Experiences and engagement underpin the future of loyalty; and
- Retailers and brands need to unify digital and physical touch points.
