An increasingly complex “whirlwind of emotions” invests the Italian customer before the purchase. They are negative and positive emotions, and their balance towards the “good side” is increasingly influenced by the strategic and technological choices of brands.
The customer journey, the path that leads to the purchase first and to the after-sales service afterwards, is enriched with new stops, digital and analogical, which are even more crucial today and which brands must carefully monitor. Analogic means such as word of mouth, in-store interaction and advertising on traditional media have been joined by digital ones, expanding the range of voices that the consumer intercepts, voluntarily or often unconsciously.
The new joint BVA Doxa-Salesforce investigation on Italians and Phygital Buying Experiences provides an exhaustive cross-section of the consumer’s journey towards purchase. And, above all, it provides merchants with valuable information for improving approach strategies, thanks above all to technology. BVA Doxa carried out about a thousand interviews in a segment between GenZ and Boomers, with a prevalence of GenX (37%) and Millennials (32%), the engine of Italian consumption.
Pampering the consumer from pre to post sales
The data highlight a demanding and attentive consumer in the selection phase. He has a vast plethora of channels and researches very well before deciding what and where to buy. And it is at that moment that he begins the swirl of emotions mentioned above. Love at first sight, the ease of buying and feeling pampered compete with the negativity of bewilderment, rudeness or pressure from the salesperson, and frustration during the product choice process.
Even in the purchasing phase, the customer wants to experience an emotion, a sensory immersion, and if he perceives a sense of abandonment, or too much complexity, he is lost, often forever. The heat required in the pre-sales phase becomes even more decisive in the post-sales phase. And leaving a good memory throughout the funnel is the seed from which loyalty will sprout.
The responsibility for negative emotions often lies with the merchant. During the choice phase, they have a negative impact: the unavailability of a product, on an online shop or in the physical point of sale, the lack of professionalism of the sales staff, uncompetitive prices cause frustration. And this is also the case for the difference in price between the physical and online stores, and the lack of versatility in the availability of collection points and purchase options (from cards to discount coupons).
Many of these obstacles, together with, for example, the logistical discrepancy between the physical and digital channels, derive from an incorrect technological setup. Aligning the different platforms, through the use of application integration tools (APIs) or unified platforms, is imperative for a phygital approach. An imperative today more than ever forced by new consumption habits.
Because you buy it in the physical store
It is clear from the responses to the research that the purchasing phase, while being fundamental for the merchant, remains on the same level as the pre- and post-sales phase for the consumer. But, considering this central phase of the funnel, it is interesting to highlight the reasons why people buy in physical stores and online.
The results, in truth, are quite predictable. Mostly, you look for the contact in the shop if you need assistance or want to ascertain its origin. But also because you don’t want to wait to “touch” the product. While online is preferred for prices – and it shouldn’t be the case for what has been said before – for the choice, for products that are already known (loyalty) or for particular ones, more difficult to find and, finally, for the convenience of buying from home.
It is interesting to note that the role of the physical store remains fundamental in establishing trust in the brand, a determining factor for loyalty. In the physical store, you know you’ll find someone to turn to after-sales too, and you imagine you’ll find a sales consultant, who may be crucial for upselling or crossselling.
On the other hand, online is preferred by those who don’t want to be influenced, by those who know how to seek advice independently. After all, these are consumers with different characters, and the brand must be able to satisfy both of them. Along with consumer awareness, the dynamic interaction between physical and digital touch points is growing. Check the prices and then decide whether to buy in the physical or virtual store. You browse for the best price while you’re in the store, try and touch the product in the store and then buy it from home.
A dynamic and continuous interaction, the research defines it as “self phygital”, which the merchant must accept. Avoiding, as mentioned, discrepancies between the two experiences. It is also interesting to make a reference to the fateful “moment of truth”. Precisely because of the different experiences, even if the “love at first sight” can take place online or in the shop in the same way, while browsing the virtual shop one is more often disappointed. Thus, the invitation is to enrich the online shop with multimedia elements to improve the experience.
Bridging the gap to expectations
According to 65% of respondents in the joint BVA Doxa-Salesforce survey on Italians and Shopping Experiences Phygital Most brands are late on a phygital strategy, i.e. on a true integration and unification between physical and virtual experience. A worrying fact that must spur brands to fill the gap with respect to expectations. How to do? Following two distinct imperatives: strategic and technological.
Considering the strategies one must:
- Know and involve. That is, understanding behaviors, habits and preferences, actively participating in the “conversation”.
- Create customizable and flexible journeys. Because the consumer must feel unique and must have the greatest number of options available, in terms of choice, purchase and after-sales.
- Providing a simple, seamless, complete and consistent experience across both physical and digital channels.
- Be a valuable consultant, prepared and available, on every channel.
- Working on the store of the future, improving the in-store experience with digital tools.
Given the strategic imperatives, the technological ones are the technical activities to be implemented that enable the previous points. To know and engage, there is a need for unified platforms that provide a 360-degree view of the customer journey along all touch points. Versatile platforms that allow updating interactions in real time, based on data processing. Platforms integrated with all the application systems involved in the relationship with the customer. Intelligent, to provide personalized paths and richer interactions, improving value advice. And, lastly, to introduce the technologies specifically designed to make the point of sale evolve towards the store of the future.