The first 2012 edition of our magazine, TechTalk, is now out, exploring current trends, issues and market developments affecting technology organisations today. In this edition we take a closer look at the customer purchase journey for technology products, with a particular focus on retail (read it here).

Retail, both online and offline, represents the part of the customer journey where value is ultimately generated and money changes hands. Given the current tough trading environment technology brands are facing across markets worldwide, it is hardly surprising that there is so much interest in how retail is evolving. Retailers are feeling the effects of disruption as technology itself changes the way consumers shop for technology products. It is this which sets the topic for the lead article where we explore the nature of these changes and set out a vision for traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ stores through an omnichannel approach.

There is little doubt that online now forms an integral part of the retail experience for many consumers, particularly in Western markets.  In 2011, UK online trade accounted for 12% of all retail, the highest in Europe[i], and this trend only looks to increase with the inexorable rise of mobile commerce that recently achieved the milestone of over 5% during Q4 of last year[ii].

Using the internet for retail has become so commonplace that for many, the added benefits of convenience, easy research ability, and price comparison tools outweigh the effort required to physically visit the traditional bricks-and-mortar store.

But is online delivering everything consumers need from a shopping experience?  As we move further into the digital age, consumers expect a personalised, tailored and social shopping experience regardless of the medium through which it is conducted.

 

As I started planning my summer holidays for this year (yes, I like to be organised) I was struck by the sheer scale of the digital footprint that I was creating.   I used Google to search potential destinations, looked at travel reviews, local destination websites, tried to see what the apartment looks like using Google Earth, shopped around travel sites to book my airline, used comparison sites for my car hire and insurance, let everyone know about it on Facebook…and this is all before I even set foot outside of my house. When I finally go on holiday I will of course leave digital traces all the way to and from my destination (Italy as you ask) as I will inevitably access my emails when I am away, let alone be shown up on all manner of travel systems .  When I get back I will be uploading your photos, sharing my thoughts online, updating Facebook again etc. 

(You can read the full version of this article in the latest edition of GfK TechTalk here.)

The importance of the User Experience (UX) is increasingly recognized for the crucial role it has to play in take-up and loyalty of devices & digital services. The consumer devotion to their product eco-system of choice, the way in which users are encouraged to explore and discover new service facets, the ease with which it is possible to execute the actions you want quickly and easily; all these are core drivers of adoption and loyalty driven by the User Experience.

This has not always been the case, with UX historically being considered a discipline that is often separate from overall marketing prerogatives; a stage undertaken as something of a hygiene factor to ensure ‘all is well’ before getting on with the ‘more important parts’ of the marketing cycle.

(You can read the full version of this article in the latest edition of GfK TechTalk here.)

Most of us love getting a link to a piece of internet material which we find amusing and then forward on to our friends. It’s harmless and generally leaves us with a good feeling so it is easy to see why many brands are so keen to get in on the act.  It’s also perhaps not unreasonable to expect digital viral material to potentially work well for technology companies given that the target market is likely to be spending more time online.  Of course some brands do this extremely successfully, but many others try and fail – so what makes some succeed while others get consigned to the outer reaches of YouTube?

To try and answer this, I spoke to Dr Dominic Yeo, an academic at University of East Anglia with a particular expertise on this aspect of consumer behavior about research he had conducted whilst pursuing his PhD at Cambridge.

(You can read the full version of this article in the latest edition of GfK TechTalk here.)

Pleasure for its own sake is becoming as crucial to the effectiveness of digital operating systems as the fundamentals of UX design. We are seeing a new dimension for UX: discoverability – the joy of discovery for its own sake. Discoverability is about three key success factors: personalized discovery; game-like engagement and viral appeal. This new dimension is about understanding how to engage digital consumers – encouraging them in exploring, finding, trying out – ‘experiencing’ new digital stuff.

User Experience – or UX – has historically been the discipline that has kept technology design honest. When all around them are losing their heads about the next shiny new technology feature, the UX experts are there, soberly insisting that any new design must first and foremost be seen from the user’s point of view. Is it usable? Is it useful?

 

Declining consumer spend on physical music has forced the demise of many traditional bricks and mortar record stores. For the music industry, question marks remain about how, and even whether, the revenue generated by digital music can offset this loss. Rather than fighting this, the music industry first needs to ensure that the remaining retail consumers don’t drop out of its customer base altogether.

High street closures

The first album I bought was Happy Nation by Ace of Base. Yeah, I know. The format I bought it on – cassette – hasn’t aged any better than their distinctive (and, some would argue, inimitable…) brand of Swedish pop-reggae. And now, it looks like the record shop I purchased it from might be taking a similar slide into the field of “ha, remember them?” obscurity.