Retail should really educate their team into the use of the power of the digital in the customer journey

The customer journey, regardless of the industry, has undergone a radical change since the advent of the web. Indeed, if the customer journey always begins with a search for information, it is the "source" or rather the location of the source that has changed.

The change is about to hit is even more with AI…

Everyone has understood this new challenge, However, not all retail players have treated it in the same way. With such varied results, ranging from filing for to multiplying profit by 4 or by 10 in turnover.

The reasons for the failure are threefold:

1. A poor analysis of what the web has changed in customer behavior

2. A poor understanding of how digital works (and Google in particular)

3. A confusion between marketing and commercial leverage

1. The customer journey before and after the web: Changing customer behavior

The customer journey "before": the FMOT

Before, the customer had to meet with a salesperson to eventually buy. He was going to a physical point of sale. The salesperson "identified" his needs, made him an offer (b2b) or offered him items (b2c) and possibly after the conclusion of the sale called him back to follow up.

This meeting at the point of sale, the first step in the customer journey, is what is called the FMOT for First Moment of Truth. The customer obtained information, admittedly directed by the salesperson, of the product or service he wanted to buy. The "source" of information was therefore the salesperson at his workplace, where the customer, "forced" to go there, obtained answers to his questions.

That was the world before!

The customer journey after: The ZMOT

The world after has been the world since 1999! This is the world of the web. 100% of future customers will look for information on the net. This is the same information that they would have asked the salesperson when they pushed open the door of the point of sale.

There is no longer a physical "meeting" in the customer journey. This is the ZMOT. the Zero Moment of Truth. No need for the seller. We could say 99%, considering the 1% who do not have access to the internet. But in our markets it's 100%. And they are looking for 67% of the information that would eventually lead them to buy! The "source" of information is therefore no longer the salesperson of the branded point of sale but the trillion pieces of information available in this gigantic library that is GOOGLE.

The customer journey affected by a paradigm shift in the customer

Before the web, the customer "pushed the door because they were either won over by the advertising messages around the brand, they wanted to buy the product or service, or because they didn't really know what they needed and therefore were looking for information... Only available at the point of sale.

But today, the adage that says that customers don't need anything... is FALSE!! THEY NEED INFORMATION OR EVEN SOLUTIONS TO A PROBLEM! Except that now, they have access to this information in the space of a click.

Therefore, when you had to be physically present before the web... well now you have to be VISIBLE on the web. AND this is where brands have not understood how digital works (and google in particular)

2. The customer journey affected by a poor understanding of digital

To be visible, you have to be found. In the beginning, everyone created an internet address and was satisfied with that. The notion of optimizing the level of searches on the web, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), was born in 1998 from the meeting of two students at Stanford University: Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The concept is simple: prioritize the most relevant content following a search on the search engine answer page (SERP). Google was born!

3.The customer journey handled by marketing and not (or badly) by the sales department

In marketing, and to put it simply, the rules applied to transform the prospect into a customer will be intimately linked to his or her buying journey. This is called the customer journey. : A set of actual or potential steps that a customer goes through throughout their relationship with a business or brand.

And already before the web, it was necessary to:

- Inspire: Raise awareness of the importance of the brand. It's advertising, product placement, etc.

- Have the customer explored. It's pushing them to do research, to learn from the brand. Flyers, brochures etc.

- Involving the customer means making them buy. The role of the salesperson at the point of sale

- Build customer loyalty, with the help of loyalty cards, loyalty programs, etc

Businesses of any kind, small or medium-sized enterprises, multinationals or independent businesses, (re)known or not, continue to apply their same rules to digital

- Inspire: using social media bloggers, influencers

- Explore: blog posts, forums, and website

- Involving: the metaverse, phygital

- Building loyalty: the same means but digitised

It is not the means that are the problem, but the use of these means which is more promotional than commercial. In other words, inspiration and exploration are treated to bring the customer already won over to the brand to go further and eventually buy.

The customer journey in the digital age or how to understand your prospects

41% of retail companies rely on digital to increase sales.

BUT without taking into account the customer's buying journey, which first takes place online.

99% of prospects are looking for 67% of information about their "problem". They have a different purchasing maturity:

• Interested parties assess the problem and/or look for missing information to get an idea. They are interested in the problem, not the brand.

• The committed people evaluate the solutions. To do this, they engage in comparisons between different solutions.

• The "purchasing modes" evaluate the implementation. To do this, they are looking for very operational and concrete information. They evaluate the transaction.

Be careful, these are PROSPECTS, not CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE ACQUIRED THE BRAND!!

Be visible on the customer journey

Retail must, at a minimum:

1. No longer apply the marketing of the pre-web but a real digital strategy with a commercial vocation (to sell with emotions, not just to look good).

2. Create a strategy for both push and pull. It's no longer a question of waiting for the customer to push the door! You have to be present where he is looking for information.

3. Integrate sales reasoning into your digital strategy: What are our PROSPECTS looking for? Where are they? What do they want? Social networks, the website, etc., are aimed at customers who are already committed to the brand. That's 1% of prospects. The 99% run away from the brand and everything that promotes it, and are looking for qualitative and relevant information related to their problem(s).

4. Incentive you clienst advisors in data collection (especially the ones that are a potential hook to convert/ retain the prospct /client, rather than commissions on results

5. Treat your CLIENTS with respect and EMOTIONS! They use the web through social networks EVERY DAY! They are your ambassadors by advocating your brand (especially if you do not make a copy paste)

6. Make your existing clients feel they deal with HUMANS. Technology/ CRM is the weapon. EMOTION is the ammunition to hit the heart of your loyal clients.

7. Educate your management team, into their two key roles: Managing the business & DEVELOPPING the people