Customer Experience (CX) Revolution in Retail, a new research report by Talkdesk, reveals the accelerated change in customer shopping behaviour and expectations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report shows the line has officially blurred between digital and in-store experience, with 58% of retail customers saying their expectations with their preferred brands are higher than a year ago. Customers cite ease, speed and ability to transition across channels of choice during interactions as their top priorities.
This increase in customer expectations poses a significant risk for retailers, as only 14% of customer strongly agree that retails are committed to delivering the best possible CX. To make the situation more serious, 68% of customers say they would reduce their loyalty to a brand after a single negative customer service experience.
The report analysed more than 180 responses from full-time professionals, such as leadership and management for customer service, customer experience, and IT, as well as 1,200 retail customers.
Paulo Silva, Senior Vice President, Client Solutions at Alorica, said:
“Just as shopping has become an omni-channel, on-demand experience, so must customer service.”
“As Talkdesk Research data confirms, fostering consumer affinity and loyalty toward a brand in today’s anytime, anywhere environment starts with the contact centre. The speed, agility and customer-centricity it offers are essential to ensuring CX remains seamless across any commerce touchpoint, be it buy online pick-up in store, curbside, online or in-store”, adds Silva.
Tiago Paiva, Chief Executive Officer at Talkdesk, said: “This sea change in consumer behaviour has been on retailers’ collective radar for years, but the pandemic accelerated it. In-store and digital experiences are, for many retailers, still treated as two distinct, separate channels. The mere fact that consumers now want one simple, holistic interaction creates a major challenge for retailers who thought they had a few more years of runway to implement.”