Since the dawn of the internet, consumers have been gaining more and more control over the content they see and the experiences they choose to have both online and offline.
As social media moved into the mainstream, both consumers and companies evolved from broadcasting to interacting with their experiences. A recent story on NPR focused on the importance of retailers in telling a “Brand Story” as a supplement to the shopping experience. Retailers such as Apple have been ahead of this trend and used it is a differentiator. But now, this is no longer a differentiation strategy as much as it is a required way of doing business.
Your customers are learning about your products and services online. They are researching, evaluating and interacting with existing customers to determine if this is what they want to purchase. Then the purchase is either made online or they head over to the retail location – where they expect a more fulfilling experience than they can get online. In other words, the are shopping for the experience in addition to the product.
When you consider purchasing from this context, you can begin to see why feedback collection tools such as mobile online surveys such as SurveyPocket or mobile enabled surveys via QR codes are such a valuable customer feedback tool. They allow your customer to give you immediate feedback and therefore allow you as the business to manage the experience in real time.
How are you looking to improve your customers’ experiences with your brand in 2013?
