Let’s Talk About CX: Trends in Customer Experience for 2022
Last month's Pulse discussed Customer Data Platforms to manage the myriad data marketers will need to collect post-cookie. It begs the question, though: If you can't deliver an exceptional customer experience in a highly competitive world, will you even need a CDP? If you can't delight your customers, then the rest is moot; the keys to all success across a marketing organization start and end with the end-user: the consumer.
The rapid digital transformation that's occurred during the global pandemic has made consumers much more tech-savvy. If the experience you're offering is sub-par, they'll not only move on in a heartbeat, but they're not afraid to let the world know about it, either. While there are still massive amounts of MarTech and brand building to be done in the coming year, how good your CX is will ultimately determine your overall success.
The resources here discuss some of the ways CX will evolve in 2022.
Resources
- Predictions for Customer Experience (CX) in 2022. Customer Think, December 2021.
Retail has been challenged on every front, resulting in several changes within the customer experience (CX) industry – livestream shopping, social commerce, and supply chain disruptions are just a few examples. COVID-19 sped up large-scale digitization, forcing people to immerse themselves in the digital world. And though customers have adapted to new digital models, it's important to note that offline shopping isn't going anywhere.
In fact, the future of retail will embrace both online and offline shopping, creating a hybrid experience that will provide the customer with even more value. In fact, Forrester predicts that the vast majority of retail — 72 percent — will still take place offline as far out as 2024. Foot traffic will still be just as desirable then as it is now. But what will take center stage is the overall customer experience. - The 5 Customer Experience Waves You Should Be Ready to Ride in 2022. CMS Wire, December 2021.
The past 18 months have taught us all to be more resilient in the face of unexpected challenges. While managing through the unexpected is important, it's prudent to stay focused on the future and what we know is coming. Discussed here are five trends CMS Wire believe are especially relevant in the CX and Digital worlds and about which they're talking most with their clients. Each of these has implications for engaging and interacting with your customers. Think of them as building waves that can propel your organization forward — if you're ready to catch them. Also from CMS Wire, see: 8 Tips to Build a Winning Customer Experience Strategy. - It's Customer Experience that Matters. Fast Company, December 2021.
Navigating tech stacks can be a Herculean effort, with marketing organizations generally only able to use 58% of the capabilities their marketing stacks provide. Add to that the angst over constant changes in the ecosystem and the impact of the deprecation of the third-party cookie, and discussions, technologies, and solutions can seem endless, with many brands feeling lost in the mix.
Marketers have faced such an overwhelming array of tech that it has made it hard to keep sight of what makes great advertising and therefore makes advertising great: customer experiences underpinned by customer understanding. In 2022, the question for your brand is: How do you serve, satisfy, and delight your customers? - Deliver a Modern Digital CX: A Guide for Marketing Innovators. Acquia, December 2021.
As the world embraces more in-person interactions, things aren't going to just go back to the way they were before. The great challenge for brands is how to reimagine their approach to customer experience by connecting every point of interaction, uniting all teams across the business, and merging the trust gap between brands and consumers.
To help marketers understand how to bring these pieces together, Acquia surveyed 8,000 consumers and 800 marketers across Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, the U.K. and the U.S. Their research explored shifts in both marketer and consumer expectations around customer experience and privacy. - How to Use Customer Experience to Stay Ahead of Competition. Business 2 Community, November 2021.
Before e-commerce and SaaS went mainstream, you didn't have to worry too much over churn if you had a good product offering. Users needed your product/service, especially if they had nowhere else to get it —so they stuck to your brand whether customer experience was good or not.
Trivialize user experience in the 2020s, and you'll have scenarios like this: As the barrier to entry continues to fall, competition continues to get stiffer. And your competitors have the best motivation to get your customers. If you chase your customers to them with bad CX, they'll gladly oblige.
Josch Chodakowsky is a senior manager of research and innovation at ANA.
The views and opinions expressed in Marketing Futures Pulse are solely those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the ANA or imply endorsement from the ANA.