This article was based on the interview with The Office of Experience and Znode by Greg Kihlström, AI & Marketing keynote speaker for The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström podcast. Listen to the original episode here:
Understanding the needs and preferences of the customer is essential for creating a successful e-commerce platform, thus it is important to focus on the customer journey first when developing an e-commerce strategy. By starting with the customer in mind, businesses can align their people, processes, and technology to deliver a seamless and personalized experience.
The speakers emphasize the importance of looking at the customer journey holistically and considering both the user experience and employee experience. By understanding how customers interact with the platform and how employees facilitate transactions, businesses can design a 360-degree omnichannel journey that meets the needs of all stakeholders. This approach allows businesses to identify pain points, improve efficiencies, and enhance the overall customer experience.
Furthermore, the speakers stress the importance of setting clear goals and KPIs to measure the success of the e-commerce program. By establishing benchmarks and tracking progress over time, businesses can evaluate the impact of their e-commerce initiatives and make data-driven decisions to drive growth and profitability.
In addition, the speakers recommend that businesses identify their most difficult use cases or challenges and request a native demo of the platform’s functionality to ensure it can meet their specific needs. By testing the platform against real-world scenarios and evaluating its flexibility and ease of use, businesses can determine if the platform aligns with their strategic goals and can support their digital transformation efforts effectively.
Overall, the podcast underscores the critical role of focusing on the customer journey first when developing an e-commerce strategy. By prioritizing the needs of customers, businesses can create a seamless and personalized experience that drives customer loyalty, improves operational efficiencies, and ultimately leads to business success in the competitive e-commerce landscape.
