Picture this: an avid tennis fan catches his favorite player in action on his favorite sports application. After the match concludes, he exults on the social media platform of his choice. In a matter of seconds, an offer pops up on his screen for merchandize associated with the celebrity player he rooted for. In that jubilant moment, he has no second thought on completing the purchase.
What the individual experienced is the new ‘commerce everywhere’ business model that enables a brand to plug into customers’ minds and elevate their shopping experience. The model is underpinned by a digital experience platform that intelligently anticipates what customers like, and presents the offer at the right moment when they are ready to make a positive decision.
Content Management & Optimization
Commerce everywhere is a holistic concept powered by multiple individual elements. One of the integral elements is the ability to integrate external and internal content, and optimize it to drive a superior customer experience. To achieve this, retailers need to leverage advanced content management platforms that harness the power of automation and analytics to shape smarter, intuitive and scalable operations.
For instance, a global e-retailer achieved agility and scale in its content management operations by adopting an intelligent and end-to-end operating model. This model was underpinned by automation, business process re-engineering, analytics and an outcome-driven approach. It helped standardize operations, streamline workflows, and manage volumes and variability, thereby providing high-quality content for exceptional customer experience. Not only was there a significant jump in productivity, but there was a rapid acceleration in speed-to-market. Looking ahead, the e-retailer is set to embed Augmented Reality (AR) content and 3D imaging to further enhance customer experience.
The significance of content management has to be viewed in the larger context of ever-growing customer expectations, increasing competition and the addition of new sales and marketing channels. Companies are tasked to continually create relevant and personalized content that can be consumed by customers across multiple channels.
Customer Experience Differentiation at Scale
Evolved content management models look to drive customer experience differentiation at scale. They push for totally connected content management in which one touchpoint fuels the next personalized interaction. Every touchpoint in the customer journey becomes a point of focus – be it the service portal or the help desk. Embedding artificial Intelligence, machine learning and advanced analytics ensures effective curation of content to transform customer relationships into holistic, intuitive and intelligent experiences that anticipate and fulfill their ‘in-the-moment’ needs.
Today, content management models have grown by leaps and bounds to create novel customer experiences. They will undoubtedly have an important role to play as retailers look to create customer experience differentiation at scale and speed.
To know more about the commerce everywhere business model, its key facets and how it can be successfully implemented, read the IDC Vendor Spotlight, sponsored by WNS.