Sometimes the famous words sung by Kris Kringle “Just put one foot in front of the other….” seem like our mantra. Commerce trends are constantly evolving making it necessary for us to continue pushing forward with new innovation and creativity.
Episerver Ascend 2018 kicked off yesterday with a series of keynotes given by an impressive bunch including Episerver President & CEO, Mark Duffell; Episerver CMO, James Norwood and Gartner Research Director, Kirsten Newbold-Knipp. They left us ready to march forward armed with a product strategy and roadmap. Here are a few of our takeaways:
Reimagining Commerce
Amazon restructured the traditional vendor approach in 2000 when they decided to allow manufacturers to list items on their site. The success that they’ve had with this strategy was demonstrated when 99.9% of people listening to the keynote admitted to purchasing from Amazon within the last year. This type of digital transformation is now mainstream, and companies of all sizes are participating in the movement.
Path to Personalization
Consumers expect a personalized experience when visiting a site. Over 70% of people who visit a site are going there to get information on a product or service, which means that companies have a lot at stake if they aren’t hitting the mark with their content. While there is a lot at stake, there is also a lot to be gained. Companies who create relevant content and personalize experiences are benefiting from brand loyalty.
Delivering a Seamless Journey
Martech, the blending of marketing and technology, plays a critical role on the journey to exceptional customer experiences. By 2019, 81% of marketing leaders expect to compete almost completely on CX. In fact, 67% say they do it today and 60% say that they have been for over two years already. Nevertheless, even with these impressive numbers, most don’t think they are doing a satisfactory job.
The Experience
The only way to truly find your shortcomings is to measure what is happening along the customer journey. By investigating throughout the journey, you’ll discover that there are stages in the customer experience beyond a purchase. A completely positive journey will result in repeat purchases and invaluable word of mouth.
In order to embark on this investigation, you have to start with a solid foundation. You won’t be able to properly evaluate the customer’s journey without a system of record. Once that is in place you can move onto systems of differentiation and, finally, systems of innovation.
While this entire endeavor can seem daunting, the keynote closed with this encouraging reminder:
It’s important for us to remember that it’s a long journey and we don’t have to do it alone!
What has helped you the most in whichever stage you’re in? We’d love to hear what you’ve learned.
