The modern customer is more informed than ever before, with the ability to easily research products and services before purchasing. Mobile devices enable quick comparisons between suppliers – traditional customers, of course, would need to visit multiple stores to gain any comparison points on pricing and quality.
Buyers have everything at their fingertips through their mobile phones. Shopping decisions are made faster because anyone accessing a virtual store already has most of the information they need. They can receive constant updates about their purchase process, from beginning to delivery, through mobile communication. When these facilities and notifications are accurate, timely and enable conversation with the supplier for inquiries and complaints, the customer experience (CX) has been bettered through the use of mobile devices.
What mobile CX must offer to be successful for retail
The mobile consumer experience is influenced by all moments in the buying process, from when they enter a mobile app or site, right through until the point at which they receive the goods and/or service that was purchased.
Looking specifically at the mobile experience in creating a positive CX, mobile-commerce (or m-commerce) solutions must;
- Be focused on the consumer and their needs.
- Provide relevant and accurate information about the product to be purchased (reviews, description, etc.)
- Be user-friendly, intuitive and fast to use.
- Offer the buyer confidence, in terms of stability and information security.
When considering the mobile-buyer for retail, certain expectations must be met. As the purchase is through a mobile device, far from a store and without the ability to touch and feel the product, the consumers need to obtain something similar to a physical shopping experience.
This is why those who provide goods and services through mobile means have to provide enough information to try and cover that gap and achieve consumer acceptance when the product is received. This includes things like the item looking as expected, being as comfortable as promised and being the correct size. There are also other risk factors associated with purchasing a product digitally, that need to be managed.
Digital consumers also want personalised attention that is focused on their preferences and purchases. There is the expectation that information from the supplier is consistent and accurate across all channels they have engaged with to make the purchase.
Challenges businesses face with mobile CX
The main challenge facing a retail provider when migrating from a traditional to a mobile environment, is ensuring the mobile CX is as good, or better, than the in-store experience. To achieve this, retailers should implement clear and precise strategies for:
- Promoting new sales channels with current and potential customers.
- Developing a secure, stable, attractive and intuitive mobile platform.
- Adopting Customer Service attendance through multiple channels, predominantly mobile.
- The logistics of deliveries and collections that are consistent with the promise of sale.
Once a retailer has implemented everything required for a positive m-commerce CX, they can notify customers and start promoting the new sales channel. It can be challenging at this point for retailers to properly utilise the correct methods of promotion. Of most relevance is using mobile communication, so as to be consistent with the new channel and generate more traffic directly.
The promotion of the new sales platform also needs to be personalized, which means delivering the correct information to the right consumer, through the appropriate channel and in a timely manner.
How Soprano can help boost your CX
Soprano Design is a worldwide leader in corporate mobile communication, with extensive experience in the retail sector. Using our Omnichannel communication platform, we are able to help companies in the retail sector at different moments of truth create a more positive CX.
Here are some areas where we can improve your CX.
- Promotion: Soprano’s Omni-Channel communication solution allows companies in their specific sector to reach the right person, in the format that they prefer, to promote the products and special offers based on their m-commerce channel.
- Security: The Two-Factor Authentication solution, through mobile channels, allows companies to implement additional security on their m-commerce platforms.
- Operational Notifications: Soprano Design’s solution, which is a very low-code integration, allows companies to integrate their m-commerce and logistics platforms to deliver timely notifications to the consumer during the purchase and delivery process.
- Customer Service: Our solution for automating interactions through multiple channels, allows companies to automate processes of attention to the customer and measurement of consumer satisfaction. This increases consumer loyalty and trust.
Smartphones and mobile technologies have changed the market but customers require a ‘human’ experience that feels like real interaction, to build confidence in a brand. The mobile CX can become the focal experience of the retail consumer. When established and integrated using the correct solutions, the mobile CX can positively impact the consumer experience.
For more insights into the mobile technology industry and what we are doing here at Soprano, check out our blog.