Technology as an ally of the shopping experience

Today, more than ever, providing a memorable customer experience is critical. In this context, we will talk about the experience related to the act of purchase. We will explain how technology works by optimizing this process, attracting, conquering and retaining customers.  Read on to get inspired and further improve your brand’s relationship with your customers. 

What is a shopping experience?

The shopping experience is basically what your customers will feel from start to finish in their shopping process. It is directly linked to the feelings and emotions that consumers will have, on this journey, with a certain brand.

Despite being an abstract and subjective concept, the shopping experience can be analyzed, measured and improved. However, this should be done from the perspective of what the customer feels and not what you think he or she feels or will feel.

In summary, nowadays, you can have the best product ever, but if your website doesn’t open correctly on your cell phone or the customer can’t answer a simple question through the service, your company is doomed to starve. What the consumer expects is an experience without friction and that, when problems arise, they are resolved without difficulty. 

Want to see some numbers? A study by Barilliance, a giant that offers personalized e-commerce, shows that 73% of consumers who try to shop via desktop abandon their cart. In cell phones, the number increases to 86%. In this context, certainly, a good experience would avoid so many abandoned carts. 

Consumers value a good shopping experience 

Get ahead and gain a special place in the heart of the customer who offers an unforgettable experience. And, for this to happen, all consumer contact points with the brand must contribute to it. In this way, the customer must always be at the centre of all processes. See now some applications of how technology can transform the shopping experience. 

Technology in the experience: Efficient processes and personalized service

A person may seek service from a company for a variety of reasons. However, there is something that is common to those looking for service: receiving it with quality.  Another important point is related to the company’s internal organization, that is, how efficient its processes are, as well as their clarity. 

There’s nothing worse than jumping from attendant to attendant, or discovering that whoever was there to help doesn’t even know where to start.

Here, technology helps through CRM systems – Customer Relationship Management, a tool that aims to optimize the customer service process. In it, it is possible to record important customer information and data, making the service more effective, practical and, on the other end, the customer more satisfied. On the market, there are several options available and even free. 

Technology in the Experience: Big Data and Consumer Monitoring

The complete sales process and, consequently, customer service, generates innumerable valuable data about the behaviour of your consumers. But what are you doing with them?

Big Data solutions help to collect and organize this data, facilitating constant monitoring of consumer behaviour. 

Let’s say you have an online clothing store and you use a Big Data system. In this context, the platform performed the data collection and you, when interpreting it, noticed that, in a certain period of the year, there is an increase in the purchase of beachwear. In addition, you assess that most of the clientele in this period are women, aged between 20 and 30 years, living in a common region. 

With this data, you can create campaigns targeted to this audience, offering promotions to customers who have already bought from you, or even plan actions for these customers to be ambassadors for the store. In summary, there are countless opportunities that can be developed just by observing and analyzing data on consumer behavior. 

Technology in the experience: Interaction via chats and social networks

Talking “typing” has become a reality and also a custom of the vast majority of people. So, why not solve problems or ask questions with brands via chat? More and more companies are investing in this resource, for its convenience and also as a way to improve the experience offered.

Thus, some opt for chats within their own applications or systems, while others offer this type of service via social networks, such as Instagram and WhatsApp.  A survey carried out by the Sercom Group in partnership with the Qualibest Research Institute, last year, showed that 41% of the people interviewed hate (yes, they hate) talking on the phone with robots and 64% prefer to access the SAC of companies via social networks. 

Technology in Experience: Contributions of Artificial Intelligence

There are many applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in the customer experience. In other words, when it comes to providing a good shopping experience, this feature can help at various points in this process. 

One of them is the service, providing agility, humanization and personalization since the AI ​​is able to understand and replicate the human language process through learning. A chatbot is an example of an AI ​​application.

AI can also act by automating tasks that would take longer to be performed by people and collecting important information. Large companies such as Magazine Luiza, Bradesco and Nubank already use this feature. In the market, it is already possible to find solutions with AI that can also be applied in small businesses.