Friday, December 22, 2017

'Twas four nights before Christmas, a True Story of the Retail Apocalypse and Customer Experience

An actual photo of a shopping mall in Chicago last 
night, four days before Christmas
I was inspired to write a poem by a visit to a mall that I made last night. Far from finding it crowded with holiday shoppers, the place was sad and empty. You can enjoy the poem below, but please visit my Gartner blog for more context and observations about how the discipline of customer experience can help retails make bold choices for future success. 

Without further ado, and with apologies to both Clement Clarke Moore and Charles Dickens...

'Twas four nights before Christmas, and all through the mall,
Not a creature was stirring, the crowds were so small!
The decorations were hung 'round the galleria with care,
In hopes that some shoppers soon would be there.

But unlike the ghosts of Christmases past,
The shops were all empty, the clerks looked downcast.
No bustle! No shoppers! No last-second buyer!
No families or children! The scene was quite dire.

So I strolled from the food court (I don't need to get fatter),
And went to investigate to see what was the matter.
In the first store, I asked for the size that is mine,
"We don't carry that here, you must shop online!"

In the next place, I struggled to roam through the store,
To maximize density, they'd crammed in more. More!
So crowded and cramped, they'd packed all the aisles,
That trying to get through was more like a trial.

The next store was empty, no clerk could be found,
The place was in chaos, with clothes in a mound.
Employees were chatting, their duties neglected,
Under a sign that proclaimed "Satisfaction's our objective!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
I could not help but recall, dead retailers gone by.
Borders, Circuit City, Blockbuster, and KB,
American Apparel, Wet Seal, The Limited, RIP.

In that moment, so dispirited and glum,
I was visited by the spirit of Christmas Yet to Come,
"This mall will be shuttered," he uttered grim-faced,
"These brands will go under, their memory erased."

I cried, "Why show this if all hope has passed?''
In response, he whispered, "The die is not cast.
If retailers honor customers deep in their soul,
Put them first, do them right, and above all, make them whole!"

"Leaders must live in the future, not just this quarter,
Investing in customers can save brick and mortar,
People crave experiences, they want to feel cherished,
Brands that treat them like wallets will all soon have perished."

"Customer experience can save them," he declared as he vanished,
"Without satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy, their brands will be banished!"
And I heard him exclaim, ere he disappeared from sight,
"Next season will be happy if you just get CX right!"

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

The Top Zero Customer Experience Trends for 2018

I love the holidays, but I hate "trend season." You know, how every blogger, agency, and media site has to publish its forecast for the hot trends in marketing and business. I saw a headline today that promised the megatrends that would change your business in 2018. I've got news for you: If there is a "megatrend" that will impact your company within 12 months and you are not already aware and acting, it is already too late for you.

Of course, I get particularly frustrated with the breathless headlines promising sexy trends in customer experience (CX), my area of focus at Gartner. These sorts of articles typically fall into three different categories: The obvious (Frictionless experiences become more vital!), the optimistic (VR will change everything in 2018!), or the misguided (Snapchat is essential to your brand's CX!)

This year, I'd like you to ignore these articles. Why? One reason is that most of these essays are full of hot air, intended not to educate but to ignite a sense of FOMO and sell the writer's services. More importantly, chances are your company is not getting the basics of CX correct, and the focus on hot trends and tech only obscures your best opportunities to improve your brand's relationships with its customers. By all means, monitor how emerging technology (such as IoT, VR/AR, voice-activated devices, chatbots, and AI) is evolving, but do not lose sight that technology must serve your customers and their desired experiences, not vice versa.

To see the real hot trends (really just the good, basic building blocks of CX success), please continue reading on my Gartner blog. And if you're a client, you'll find links to relevant research notes that can help your 2018 planning.