A brilliant Omnichannel experience through modern customer identification
Christmas is just around the corner… For retailers, Christmas is more than just a festive time. To them, it is the most important and probably also the most exciting time of the year, because the atmosphere of consumption is almost euphoric during this time.
According to the German Retail Association (HDE), the year 2019 will see a 1.5% increase in revenues in stationary retail and a rise of more than 10% in online retail. This has experienced a real boom in recent years in conjunction with the rapid increase in mobile devices. A survey conducted by Capgemini shows that 48% of those surveyed intend to do their Christmas shopping online this year and only around 14% visit stationary stores to do so.
The classic username/password login is no longer necessary
The retail trade on the local level is far from being out of the race. Rather, digital channels need to be complementary to the stationary retail trade. Studies show that contact with digital channels increases the probability of purchase. The opportunity for the stationary retail of tomorrow is to exploit the potential of the digital world, to get to know and identify the customer everywhere. In this way they revitalize the physical shopping experience. But how can this be achieved?
The core element of the Omnichannel Experience is the identification of the customer along the entire customer journey. First and foremost, the registration process must be kept as streamlined as possible. Through progressive profiling, the customer profile is gradually completed according to need, without discouraging the customer with “curiosity” at the beginning. The aim is to gain the customer’s trust that his data will be handled carefully and sensibly.
The classic username/password login is no longer necessary
To ensure that the user continues to enjoy using the dealer’s digital channels, the login is extremely crucial. Users are often confronted with annoying “password forgetting practices”. Well, at home, he will reset the password, however reluctantly, and re-enter it, but only when he has time to do so. But if the customer stands at the cash register with the digital customer card and is suddenly logged out of the app, the joy evaporates and disappointment and anger take over. Unfortunately, he cannot collect the valuable points, is unable to record his purchase in the app or, in the worst case, fails to redeem the voucher he received just at the time of purchase.
It is better to give the customer the choice of how he would like to authenticate himself. The modern login can be a social login or one-time password on a laptop, for example. On the smartphone, a biometric procedure, as he already uses for unlocking, is certainly popular.
Real World Identification connects online and offline world
The next step is the Real-World Identification. With customer identity and access management, the online and offline worlds can be connected by using modern technologies such as NFC (Near Field Communication) or beacons to identify the customer. Webhooks then stimulate the business software so that location-based, personalized news, offers and services are offered in the stationary store. At Christmas time, the Omnichannel Experience sparkles with this.
Christmas business in 2019 is almost over, but as every year, the motto is: after the holiday is before the holiday. And: Easter is approaching with big steps.
If you are a retailer and would like to take a breather after the holidays, then take a look at our lates blog post “Aunt Emma 2.0 – unique customer experience thanks to the connection of the online and offline worlds”, which describes the connected Customer Journey in detail, or even better, arrange a non-binding Meeting appointment.