On this subject, you should know in particular that according to a Google study , 40% of consumers spend more than expected when the customer experience is personalized . But what does this mean? Quite simply, that whatever the point of contact with a brand, as well as for each interaction and at each stage of the purchasing journey, the consumer must feel considered.
So, you're wondering how to go about it? Let's discover together the new trends of the year 2024 to place your customers' engagement at the heart of your digital strategy .
Pictured here are a MacBook, an iPad, and an iPhone.
Customer experience: definition, challenges and characteristics
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of customer experience trends for 2024, it is essential to take stock of what customer experience is. After all, to enhance your thinking on the subject, you need to understand the context and issues behind this concept.
Defining Customer Experience
Customer experience (CX) refers to everything that consumers will experience during their online and offline purchasing journey. It goes without saying that there is not just one possible customer experience, but as many as there are consumers.
In other words, the notion of customer experience includes all the feelings of a customer , whether before, during or after the purchase of a product or service. And by feelings, we mean both rational feelings directly linked to an offer and expectations (price, quality, usefulness, etc.) and non-rational feelings linked to their emotions, such as customer relations, the perceived image of the company, etc.
Concretely, all interactions with a customer can office 365 database potentially influence their opinion on a brand or an offer .
The customer experience, as a whole, promotes consumer engagement or not. If it is important for purchasing, it is just as important in terms of loyalty to create a lasting bond between the brand and the customer. We must also not forget that a delighted and loyal customer becomes an ambassador for the company , its products or its services. He will talk about it around him, recommend the website, etc. This is an even more important point since it is much easier to retain a customer than to convert a prospect into a customer.
Unfortunately, generating engagement doesn't come naturally. Just having a functional website isn't enough to make the magic happen.
The challenges of a successful customer experience
As you can see, a quality customer experience is a major challenge for any business, online or offline. While many websites are still oriented around their offers, the best strategy is to build your site around consumer expectations .
But why? Because it is essential that customers feel a positive feeling as soon as they arrive on the site, that they see that their expectations have been understood and that the site is promising. Of course, it is not just a matter of design and ease of navigation. This positive feeling must be maintained throughout the purchasing process .
For example, a customer may find your site pleasant and with choice, but have questions about the product or service to buy. If they can't find any information on your site to help them with this, it's a safe bet that they will look for the answer elsewhere. In such a case, all the conditions are met for them to make their purchase from one of your competitors. And the important point to remember from this example is that this can happen at any stage of the purchasing journey.
To avoid this, it is crucial to put in place the right tools and a customer experience policy . Since your brand awareness and image have a direct influence on your company's turnover and profitability, this is not a point to be taken lightly.
And don't forget that today, customers are players in the online market: they can give their opinion on many platforms. They also think more about expressing their dissatisfaction than their satisfaction, which can considerably damage your e-reputation. Here, the "1 lost, 10 found" approach is not the rule.
Standardizing the customer experience
We previously mentioned the fact that there is not just one customer experience, but multiple experiences based on feelings. However, this notion tends to become uniform in the era of digital and instant communication. If, in the past, consumption habits, behaviors and expectations varied according to countries and cultures, this is no longer as true in our ultra-connected society. Indeed, consumer lifestyles and expectations are harmonizing .
How? Thanks to real-time information, across the world and on many channels. Consumers actually have access to products and services that were previously inaccessible. The offer is more varied, which gives them a greater choice. The counterpart of this standardization? Consumers are more demanding.
Customers in an ever-more hurry
Competition without geographical limits is such that it is now easy for a customer to switch from one brand to another (even if he is satisfied with it). The slightest temptation can destroy the semblance of loyalty that you had started to build.
In this regard, don't rely solely on your products and services to stand out. In 2024, it's the customer experience that will make the difference . And this comes through the quality of the service: speed, reliability, trust, fluidity of the purchasing journey, security and commitment.
According to a Qualimétrie study, 45% of consumers want their request to be processed quickly and resolved from the first request . Brands must therefore compete in ingenuity to improve their efficiency.
