In today's digital world, the average consumer is cross-device and highly mobile, using their smartphones and other devices simultaneously throughout the day. According to data from Google, more than 60% of online shoppers use at least two devices per day, and nearly 25% use three or more devices. This reality highlights the need for technology that works across all devices, using cookie-less approaches to provide seamless customer experiences.
This requirement for omni-channel experiences is not limited to the digital environment. It also extends to retail stores, where customers expect a seamless experience across all channels. For example, a customer may start browsing products online, then visit a physical store to see the items in person, and finally make the purchase on their mobile device while on the go. To provide this seamless experience, retailers need to classify their outlets and understand their customers' motivations and distances from the shop.
The first step in classifying retail outlets is to understand the customers of these outlets. Shoppers can be classified according to their shopping motivations and their distance from the shop. Two main categories of customers can be identified: flux customers and traffic customers.
Flux Customers
Flux customers are those who choose a point of sale because it is the closest or easiest to access. These customers pose the least problems and develop the least inconvenience. The location of the point of sale, its catchment area, and its defined competition system determine the amount of flux it can have. Flux customers frequent the point of sale more regularly than anyone else because it is more accessible for them. However, flux shoppers are not always loyal to the point of sale. They may have a negative relationship with the outlet that is most easily accessible to them, choosing it out of habit. The same shopper may be fluxed by several outlets of the same nature in different shopping areas. Flux customers can be analyzed from the perspective of their loyalty to the point of sale. Loyalists have a feeling of guilt when they buy products in other shops. Attachment to a point of sale is a psychological notion that is generally consistent with the efforts made by its managers to welcome customers, recognize them, and give them the status of privileged customers. If a loyal flux perceives that the point of sale to which they go has deceived them about quality, prices, or service, the spell is suddenly broken. Not only will the retailer lose the customer forever, but they will also have gained a great enemy who will soon discredit the store and contaminate the whole area, resulting in a massive loss of the hitherto captive market.
Disloyal fluxes are those who make their purchases in different points of sale and have no special relationship with one of them. The notion of loyalty is essential because it is a simple way to combat the possibility that a competitor, by its mere presence, can divert the flux from its habits.
Traffic Customers
Traffic customers are those who only frequent an outlet because the outlet has bought their trip by providing them with special benefits, such as a promotion, special offers, or any good deal. Traffic customers operate on a cost-benefit basis. Most traffic customers are flux customers from another outlet, and pure traffic customers who only react to promotions and rewards will be rare.
To provide a seamless omni-channel experience, retailers need to understand their customers' motivations and preferences, and provide personalized experiences across all channels. This requires an Experience Relationship Management (ERM) strategy that leverages data from all channels and provides a holistic view of the customer. ERM solutions should be designed to work across all devices, using cookie-less approaches to provide a seamless experience.
In conclusion, providing an omni-channel experience is essential for retailers to meet the expectations of today's cross-device and highly mobile consumers. By understanding their customers'
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