How to put the SHINE on your Customer Experience scores

Everyone knows high customer satisfaction is crucial to long-term business success. Consequently, it’s the go-to KPI for retailers, with most setting ambitious growth targets.

Sadly, based on the briefs that reach our inbox, it seems that most Customer Experience programmes are failing to enhance customer satisfaction. Some retailers don’t deserve to see growth! They simply don’t work hard enough. Some do work hard but not on the things that really matter to customers. Winners focus relentlessly on true killer factors.

So, what are these killer factors?

To answer this we brought 30 ABAers together to consider the work of pioneers in behavioural psychology such as Daniel Kahneman, Rory Sutherland and Dan Ariely – and to pool our 20+ years of retail research knowledge.

This is what we came up with…

1. Keep things Simple

Shoppers feel at ease when shopping flows smoothly and they avoid experiences that feel difficult

Examples of how to play to this:

Deliver ‘auto pilot’ experiences so shoppers feel totally in sync with you e.g. offering consistent and intuitive layout, keeping messages simple, using visuals cues etc.

Could learn from…

Aldi’s Super 6 – underlines its price authority, acts as a focal point in store and simplifies choice

2. Make it Human

Shoppers are disproportionately influenced by what other people do, say or think

Examples of how to play to this:

Energise colleagues (the buzz will transmit to shoppers), see friendly/helpful service as a minimum and get customers involved e.g. co-creation, user-generated content, reviews

Could learn from…

Made.com – invites customers to upload pics of their homes, illustrating how products fit into real lives

3. Continually Interact

In an increasingly noisy world shoppers are easily distracted and fail to take on board retailer communications

Examples of how to play to this:

Use bite-size and arresting messages to keep moving your brand story forward - digital comms the perfect means of doing this, which is making mobiles an ever more important battleground

Could learn from…

Hush – provides regular email updates on range arrivals, reminds shoppers of things in their baskets and always asks for buyer feedback

4. Nudge shoppers out of their ruts

Shoppers chiefly act without deliberation, using mental short-cuts to make ‘good enough’ decisions – thus become creatures of habit

Examples of how to play to this:

Use primes, disruption techniques, displays, staff knowledge etc. to open shoppers’ eyes to better options Crucially, avoid disappointing at final touch-point – the nudge which does most to set ongoing perceptions

Could learn from…

Charlotte Tilbury – uses almost every possible engagement technique to persuade shoppers to take on a new persona (and buy all the products that support this!)