CX LESSONS FROM MARKET LEADERS IN RETAIL
STEAL THE WINNING TACTICS FROM COOLBLUE, BOL.COM, KPN AND THE NORTH FACE
WHITEPAPER BY WUA
ALWAYS ONE STEP AHEAD WITH CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE BENCHMARKING
To beat your competition, you only need to do one thing: give the customer what they want, and do it consistently better than your competitors.
This battle never ends. As they progress through their journey, an optimized experience keeps your customers engaged at every stage, builds trust, and helps them commit to a purchase at the very end.
But, to achieve this, you need a 360-degree, detailed, and qualitative view of the psychology behind their decisions.
GAINING DEEP KNOWLEDGE OF THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY
WUA conducts regular research into customer journeys across every imaginable sector.
These studies go far beyond regular website metrics: each one examines a specific customer journey by asking more than 400 real customers to search for a specific product or service.
Their online journey is followed in microscopic detail; measuring which websites they find, in what order, which ones they stay on, who they eventually choose, and why.
Using this data, WUA compiles detailed Benchmark Studies that keep a constant finger on the pulse of the market.
TACTICS THAT OPTIMIZE EACH STAGE OF THE JOURNEY
WUA’s Benchmark Studies identify not only the best customer experiences, but also the specific tactics used by the best-ranking companies to consistently win a growing market share.
We’ve selected the most effective tactics used by market-leading companies, Coolblue, Bol.com, The North Face, and KPN.
These industry-leading best practices are based on detailed evaluations of each stage of the ‘sales funnel.’ This ‘funnel’ perfectly describes the way we all search for products or services: we start with a minimal level of knowledge, do some research, start considering the options, and then make the final decision to buy.and so on. After all, we are only humans, right?
FIRST IMPRESSION:
BEST PRACTICES FROM COOLBLUE
1. FIRST IMPRESSION: BEST PRACTICES FROM COOLBLUE
Once formed, a first impression is hard to shake, and it continues to influence customer perception. WUA’s data shows that first impressions constitute a staggering 80% of the customer’s final assessment. Appearances matter – these inform the basis of our first impressions.
Further research shows that we form a first impression in just 0.05 seconds, so the window of opportunity is narrow. Really narrow. With potential customers being more distracted than ever, web designers must strive for the most engaging experience possible.
trust from the very start. They have built an exceptional customer experience based on a solid foundation of good first impressions.
Coolblue is a consistent benchmark leader across multiple customer journeys. The electronics retailer knows that customers struggle with big-ticket purchases - especially when technical specifications can be overwhelming and confusing.
Knowing that their customers are actively ‘shopping around’, Coolblue has become the master of a streamlined digital experience that builds
COOLBLUE’S WINNING TACTICS
Clear value proposition displayed at top of page: Free next day delivery, Real Stores you can visit, dedicated app, and Free Returns.
Clean, simple layout, and a relaxed color scheme.
Use of gentle humor to create a positive first impression that’s hard to shake.
Judicious use of the Contrast Effect to highlight key information and actions.
Product pages that leverage Social Proof, Bandwagon Effect, and the Brand Identity, these are more prominent than product specifications.
POSITIVE IMAGES
Coolblue displays an exceptional awareness of the importance of a positive first impression. Their imagery is a key part, with emotionally positive images that show the human side of the company, and connecting ideas like ‘Customer Service’ with the people who provide it.
The website is full of images showing friendly interactions between customers and staff – showing their presence, expertise, and friendliness.
Each photo uses Self Relevance and Gaze Direction to nudge visitors gradually toward a confident purchase.
In addition to the imagery, their brand USPs repeated regularly, so you’re in no doubt of who you’re dealing with.
These are backed by copious social proof, including award badges that give confidence.
NAVIGATION LESSONS
FROM BOL.COM
2. NAVIGATION LESSONS FROM BOL.COM
Time is precious: your customers will not waste it if it’s too hard to find the thing they need.
Your website navigation has a critical role in reducing bounce rate and cart abandonment. It can massively reduce the time customers spend finding the right product.
Leading online marketplace Bol.com has attained a top position in The Netherlands and Belgium - far outpacing global competitors like Amazon. How?
Bol.com’s industry-leading navigation guides potential customers quickly to the item they want; minimizing the burden for website visitors, and maximizing sales.
‘The Paradox of Choice’ is a hidden adversary that contributes to a high abandonment rate. Customers often struggle with choice overload; having too many choices creates stress that makes them give up prematurely, and ultimately results in a substandard conversion rate.
As your customer progresses through their journey, they need to narrow-down their options in just a couple of steps; feeling confident that their final choice meets their needs.
Market leaders like Bol.com stay in the lead by guiding customers easily towards a feel-good choice in just a few clicks. The right decision-making support is crucial for a smooth customer journey.
Bol.com uses just a handful of choices to help customers rapidly narrow-down the items in their search results. Offering fewer choices is a straightforward way to avoid the Paradox of Choice that leads to ‘choice overwhelm.’
A simplified and clear design gives a well-ordered view of the possibilities and easy searching is prioritized from the start.
BOL.COM’S WINNING TACTICS
Mutually exclusive options that quickly narrow down choices.
Creating and using categories with no overlap.
Use of images to help customers see which category is the best match.
Filters that further reduces the burden of choice by only showing relevant products based on customer preferences.
When customers still aren’t sure, Bol.com offers a decision-making tool that selects products based on the customer’s answer to a few simple questions.
TRUST MATTERS
HOW THE NOTH FACE’S WINNING TACTICS BUILD TRUST
3. TRUST MATTERS: HOW THE NORTH FACE’S WINNING TACTICS BUILD TRUST
By now, your customer is moving deeper down that ‘sales funnel,’ and getting closer to making a decision. But something’s missing: Trust.
Without trust, you can’t do business. Since the dawn of time, trust has been an essential ingredient for any transaction. Building trust is perhaps even more important today than ever, as relationships with trading partners are primarily digital ones. Your brand identity is a huge part of this task - if you can wield it effectively.
From our analysis of thousands of customer journeys, one thing is clear - just two factors will determine if a customer stays on your website: Brand Affinity and Trust in the Brand.
The outdoor clothing and accessory retailer has created a consistent and strong brand-centered digital experience that leverages the confluence of brand identity and customer identity to foster a sense of kinship and trust.
The result: loyal customers who feel confident about their purchases.
In our Benchmark Studies, The North Face stands out above all others for creating and nurturing a sense of brand affinity and trust using a simple, three-step process that links their brand mission with their customers’ needs and values.
THE NORTH FACE’S WINNING TACTICS
High-quality images showing their target customers enjoying the great outdoors.
Consistently linking their value proposition with the values of their customers: a passion for the outdoors and nature.
Product descriptions that reflect the priorities of their target market: warmth, waterproofing, materials, warranty period.
Brand mission is linked to each stage of the customer journey, including through the checkout process.
Copious use of Social Proof, including clear reviews and an easy-to-understand review snapshot that’s broken-down into the most key features.
SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT
The North Face uses an active social engagement strategy, including ongoing ‘feel good’ promotions that benefit everyday heroes by offering Healthcare and First-responders a discount.
They make a clear declaration of brand values and mission: making the world a better place by conserving nature. Their ethical credentials are further backed-up with a dedicated page about their social and ethical vision, sustainability, and responsibility policies.
By connecting these ethical values with product values, such as ‘high quality’ and ‘responsible sourcing,’ customers feel they can trust the company to do the right thing, thanks to the Halo Effect.
By using high-quality images that show product details and close-ups, The North Face demonstrates transparency and leaves no trace of doubt.
KILLER CONVERSION
HOW KPN ENSURES OPTIMAL CONVERSION RATES
4. KILLER CONVERSION: HOW KPN ENSURES OPTIMAL CONVERSION RATES
Imagine this: you’re watching a horse race, and the riders are on the final stretch. It’s a close race - but as the leading horse is about to win, it stumbles and falls. As you continue watching, 13 of the 14 horses either fall over, run off, or give up. Just one horse makes it past the finish line.
Is this what winning looks like to you? Because that’s a 7% conversion rate.
A poor conversion rate is often seen as a ‘fact’ instead of a challenge. Yet, this ignores the huge number of potential customers that you nearly managed to convert, but went elsewhere at the last moment.
It’s understandable that this is often seen as being outside your control. Traditional analytics give no visibility over what happens when a customer clicks away, where they go instead, or why.
However, WUA’s research shows you exactly that. It can tell you when a potential customer clicks away, and what you need to do to keep them on-track to the point of conversion.
From multiple studies, KPN stands out for a digital experience that nurtures customers through this delicate phase in their journey - the final stretch before the finish line.
KPN is a leader in the Dutch telecom and internet sector – facing off fierce competition in a vibrant market full of competing offers. In numerous studies, KPN offers a superior customer experience that converts visitors into customers.
With the incredible insights from WUA’s studies, it’s clear that companies like KPN are far ahead of the curve. They’re offering persuasive digital customer experiences that convert like nothing else. What’s their secret?
KPN’S WINNING TACTICS
Availability of extra information helps customers make confident choices.
Offering their best deal first, immediately on the homepage, with two options: ‘See the Deal’ or ‘See other Deals’ (The Hobson’s +1 Choice Technique).
Offering a choice of ‘welcome gift’ as an incentive to signing a new contract, guaranteeing the offer is relevant to each customer and what they value.
A ‘Most Chosen’ label helps customers choose from available internet speeds, simplifying the process.
Use of clear images with branded colors to help customers understand various products and categories at a glance.
USE OF INFORMATION
KPN keeps customers engaged with the intelligent use of information (i) icons that can display extra information with just a click when needed. This keeps ‘extra info’ neatly tucked away to avoid information overload.
The capability for customers to tailor their own package from modular components prevents the need for ‘guessing’ what the customer wants – the best offer is always available.
Combined, these tactics ensure that customers can find a deal they understand, and are happy with – resulting in a superior conversion rate.
CONTINUOUS OPTIMIZATION
WITH THESE WINNING TACTICS
5. CONTINUOUS OPTIMIZATION WITH THESE WINNING TACTICS
From the very first look at your website, through multiple rounds of comparisons, to that final moment when a customer decides to convert – each stage is a single link in a long chain of actions leading to conversion.
Just one weak link, and the journey ‘breaks’: the customer gives up, goes elsewhere, or chooses an alternative. If you can prevent this from happening, your conversion rate could be much higher.
However, customers today are more distracted than ever. There’s no shortage of alternatives and our always-on, digital world is constantly beckoning with the promise of newer, faster, and shinier things. Digital customer experiences are in constant competition, and this becomes fiercer each year. But there is hope.
If each stage in their journey is fully optimized, your digital customer experience can nurture more customers and carry them onwards to the next step.
By using the best-practices from industry-leading customer experiences, you can give your own digital offering an instant boost. These are vital improvements that immediately uplift and optimize the customer’s experience of your website.
But to stay ahead, you must keep pushing – to always attain the best results and always come out on top.
To achieve continuous optimization of the customer journey, you need to move towards a more targeted approach. One that looks closely at your immediate competitors, to learn what the competition is doing better, and beat them at it. Benchmarking is a key part of this.
However, to gain clear vision into the specifics of their own customers and competitors, WUAs clients use in-depth insights from the Customer Experience Dashboard. These identify the highest priorities needing attention so they can take immediate action – with measurable results.
There is nothing quite like it for understanding the customer perspective, sensing their needs, and meeting those needs with precisely targeted actions.
CONTINUOUS OPTIMIZATION WITH THESE WINNING TACTICS
A LOOK AT THE DIGITAL EXPERIENCE DASHBOARD
The tactics outlined above are proven to be effective and positively impact the entire customer experience, retaining engagement throughout and resulting in higher conversion rates.
To gain the maximum insight, companies use WUA’s dashboard to gain deep insights and specific priorities for improving their own digital customer experiences.
The dashboard is informative, easy to use, and provides actionable insights.
Take a quick look for yourself!
WUA DIGITAL CX PLATFORM
A WINDOW TO CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Benchmarking customer experiences helps you see where you’re winning and need to shape up, to get better performance and more sales.
See exactly where you stand compared against the competition, and how to improve.
Guide your conversion optimization efforts with clear priorities.
Use detailed feedback from hundreds of real customer experiences to boost website performance.
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