In the retail marketing arena, we continue to see an expansion of the impact of Customer Experience (CX) on shopper programs. More than ever, retail brands are putting increased focus on understanding the relationship between experiences shoppers have and the transactions they make.
It makes sense that with the core of CX being rooted in human-centered design, marketers and consultants alike have started to shift the CX conversation by mining for human experiences (HX) to help solve business problems for eCommerce and brick-and-mortar retailers.
Amelia Dunlop, U.S. head of customer strategy and applied design for Deloitte Digital, says, “We are finding the means to define the human experience, elevate experience, and then quantify if there is business value there.” This gets at the core of understanding the variables that drive shopper purchase behavior.
This notion of shifting the thinking toward “human” versus “shopper” allows the work to come from a place of authenticity and make a connection with the person making the transaction. By doing so, we create a shift from purely promotion- and activation-based marketing approaches, which see shoppers primarily as customers, to a broader approach that sees shoppers as people.
The nuance of starting with HX instead of CX can help retail marketers increase top-of-funnel opportunities to infuse culture into the work, creating relevance and resonance for shoppers that result in increased returns below the line.
A human-focused approach presents an opportunity for retail brands to connect in a more authentic way by reaching shoppers with more than relevant offers at the right time and place. The result is a heightened level of engagement throughout the shopper journey that reinforces the desired purchase patterns and behaviors.
Contributed by: Paula Boggess, Director of Commerce Planning & Activation, Integer Dallas
Image Source: Unsplash
