In our last entry we warned you about the coming onslaught in this, the season of lists. Today, we look at another one on retailcustomerexperience.com called the, “The 5 biggest retail customer experience stories of 2009.” This list is predicated on the observation that consumers’ relationships with brands has changed significantly in 2009. Only in the New Year will we find out if these changes are permanent. Here are the stories offered up in the list.
“An emphasis on value.” Walmart was the big winner in 2009. Their approach defined the term “value” as being synonymous with “saving money.”
“Private label brands take center stage.” It’s no surprise that consumers turn to store brands during tough economic times. However, this time around appears to have staying power as half of the consumers polled said that they found the product better than expected and 41 percent said that brand names are not worth the money.
“The shadow of Apple.” Apple stores continued to be the talk of the customer experience movement just as Microsoft opened its first store. Additionally, Steve Jobs was brought in to help improve Disney Stores.
“Online price war creates the need for better experiences.” The Amazon/Walmart price war showed that other retailers can’t just compete on price. They will have to, “differentiate on the experience, and give customers a reason to pay you more than your competitors for the same goods.”
“Retailers grapple with social media, mobile.” It has been pretty well documented that retailers are scurrying to catch up with this medium. The same can be said for mobile devices as an advertising and communications medium.
New blog post: Customer Experience Stories of the Year http://www.iccds.com/customer-experience-stories-of-the-year.html
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