Optimizing the Omnichannel Customer Experience

Ben StewartOmnichannel Innovation Manager

Omnichannel experience

design

Ben StewartOmnichannel Innovation Manager

Ben Stewart is a business transformation leader with a focus on the combination of strategy and operations. Ben currently leads omnichannel innovation and customer experience programs at Patagonia, where he is delivering enhanced shopping experiences based on the application of data analytics and design thinking.

©2015 QUALTRICS LLC.


Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis

4©2015 QUALTRICS LLC.


Why omnichannel?©

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1. Inventory efficiency2. Improved conversion3. ….

Because it’s what our customers want

Omnichannel isn’t new to us: it’s in our DNA


If you are not satisfied with one of our products at the time you receive it, or if one of our products does not perform to your satisfaction, you may return it to us for a repair, replacement or refund. Damage due to wear and tear will be repaired at a reasonable charge.

“Few businesses have the confidence to try to master all four business styles [i.e. MO, ecomm, retail, wholesale], but when you do master them, the four means of distribution work very powerfully in concert. We consider each to be essential to Patagonia’s relationship with the customer.”-Let My People Go Surfing

Omnichannel offers two kinds of problems to solve


The “easy” wins: In-store Patagonia.com

returns Ship-from-store Order-from-store Sharing ecommerce

customer data with the store

The big questions: What is the role of the store? How do our customers move

between our channels? How can digital tools help

our customers?

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Don’t reinvent the wheel (for the easy stuff)


Let someone else figure out the answers to the easy questions

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Tackling the hard questions©

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Source: Damien Newman’s “Design Squiggle”

Exploratory tools:• Customer interviews• Reading and research• “Listening post” surveys

Deep dive tools:• Customer interviews• Targeted surveys

Prototype and test:• Mockups and customer

interviews• Web a/b tests• Concept stores

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Develop hypotheses – being a good listener helps


Source: L2 Intelligence Omnichannel Retail Report; Deloitte’s “Digital Divide”

What does this mean for us?

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Purchase 1 Purchase 2

A little bit of knowledge can provide a lot of clarity

First Purchase Future Purchases

What defines these customers?

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Get outside the building: talk to customers and find out what’s really going on

Why do I buy Patagonia?The quality and multi-use nature of the products provides me with great value; I’ve received above average customer serviceHow do I buy Patagonia?Extensive online research followed by a trip to the store to make sure the product fits

George: Retail Enthusiast Nancy: Convenience-Driven Aaron: Budding Eco-Activist

Why do I buy Patagonia?The products fit almost every part of my life (travels, at home, working out); wash-and-wear clothing is important to meHow do I buy Patagonia?When it’s convenient, I go online; I connect with Customer Service for fit and product recommendations

Why do I buy Patagonia?I need items that will last during my outdoor adventures, and am motivated by Patagonia’s environmental mission

How do I buy Patagonia?Recommendations, coupled with online research, often when I have a trip planned

Figure out what’s happening inside the “black box” – why are customers doing what they’re doing?

Sometimes a narrative is more compelling than just the data

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Find significance with operational data©

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Surveys + interviews tell us “why and how”

Operational data tells us “how much”

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Test and learn How does getting a repair

affect our relationship with our customers?


How do customers balance product selection vs product availability in store?

We’ve learned a few things…1. Customers like repairs2. Customers are ‘pre-shopping’ online3. One of the biggest complaints we have in our

stores is product availability

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Tying it all together

Omnichannel tactics are matching retail offerings to customer expectations


But…it’s not just about turning on a checklist of tools and features

Using qualitative tools can help define the right questions to ask, and answer them too

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Thanks©2015 QUALTRICS LLC.

Business

Optimizing the Omnichannel Customer Experience