Putting the “Wow” into Your Customer’s Experience
This blog entry was posted on November 27, 2009.
Retailers both online and offline are looking for ways to separate themselves from their competition. One of these ways is to create the “Wow” customer experience. Delivering superior service and focusing on the customer experience.
A great example of this is Zappos that grew their merchandising sales from being a startup in 1999 to over $1 Billion in 2008. Zappos is known to be “Powered by Service.” Their goal is to provide the best online shopping experience possible. Go to the Zappos website and you will immediately see:
- Free shipping
- Free 365 day returns
- Free return shipping
Companies that focus on the “wow” shopping experience stand out from the rest. According to research by Wharton, “35% of shoppers have had an extraordinary — or wow — retail experience in the past six months.” According to a survey from the Verde Group, a “Wow” shopping experience generates four times more word-of-mouth.
5 elements of a great shopping experience (from the retail council)
- Engagement: genuinely caring, being interested, helping and listening.
- Executional excellence: Patiently explaining, advising, deep product knowledge, providing unexpected quality.
- Brand Experience: Exciting store design and atmosphere, consistently exceptional product quality and making the customer feel special.
- Expediting: Provide a fast and easy shopping process, and a speedy checkout process.
- Problem recovery: Quickly resolving and compensating for any problems, upgrading quality or delivery with a focus on complete satisfaction.
Businesses are realizing that the better the shopping experience, the greater the customer loyalty. By being creative and by listening to customers, you can create your own “wow” experience for your customers.
Related posts:
