A report from the Economist Intelligence Unit. Omni-channel. comes to. small business. Sponsored by

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1 A report from the Economist Intelligence Unit Omni-channel comes to small business Sponsored by

2 Executive summary Small businesses defined here as companies with fewer than 00 employees and up to US$0m in revenue have tended to rely on strong and close relationships with their customers. Consumers, in turn, have always appreciated the local, friendly touch of a small business. But as consumers embrace mobile devices and new-media channels, they are faced with a deluge of new options, tools and messages consequently, their purchasing behaviours are evolving rapidly. In this era of omni-channel marketing, small businesses face the challenge of engaging their individual customers better than ever and securing their satisfaction and loyalty. In November 0, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) polled executives and owners of small businesses from across the US to gauge how well they understand customer satisfaction, and how they intend to deliver unique and differentiated experiences across multiple channels. Some of the key findings to emerge from the research include: l Small businesses may be overestimating how satisfied their customers really are. Small businesses pride themselves on cultivating a close and personal connection with their customers. Yet for most of them, understanding customer satisfaction is still a very organic, unsophisticated process. The EIU survey shows that small businesses rarely deploy sophisticated metrics and processes, such as tracking the rate of repeat purchases by customers, analysing the rate of customer referrals, tracking complaints and returns, and conducting occasional spot surveys with customers, to capture and measure customer Self-reported performance over the past months across revenue, profitability and customer satisfaction metrics Significantly outperformed Moderately outperformed Performed on par Moderately underperformed Significantly underperformed Revenue growth vs competition 5 5 Profitability vs expectations 5 Customer satisfaction vs expectations Source: Economist Intelligence Unit survey, November 0

3 satisfaction. In fact, the number-one method they deploy, chosen by % of respondents, is no method, and another 5% rely on qualitative measures of satisfaction based on in-person conversations with customers. At the same time, small companies appear to be overestimating their customer satisfaction performance. When asked to rate their own performance over the past months, they are modest across most metrics only -5% of respondents believe their company significantly outperforms peers in revenue growth or profitability. However, some % believe they significantly exceeded their customers expectations and only % conceded that they might not be meeting customer expectations. The smaller the respondents companies, the more likely they are to be over-confident about their customer-satisfaction performance. l Human interactions are still critical to customer satisfaction, but new-media channels are the future. Human-interaction channels, such as physical stores, phone hotlines, online chats, and and text correspondence, are still the most heavily used vehicles for customers to interact with small businesses and their brands. At the same time, next to product and service quality, the quality of human interactions is seen as the foremost driver of customer satisfaction (% of survey respondents selected it as a top-three factor), followed by the ability to resolve customer issues and complaints in a satisfactory manner (%). It is no surprise, therefore, that personal interaction channels are perceived to be the most critical in keeping customers engaged and happy. And while Internet, mobile and social media channels still lag in usage, investment in these channels is outpacing their perceived importance reflecting the expected future importance of new-media channels in delivering a high-quality, seamless customer experience. l A reverse showrooming phenomenon may be emerging as consumers rely more on new media to research and select products, but prefer a brick-and-mortar outlet for purchasing. Much attention has been paid to the showrooming phenomenon plaguing retail, that is, the tendency of consumers to browse and try out products in brick-and-mortar stores, but then turn to online stores to find the lowest purchase price. The EIU survey indicates, however, that new- Most critical drivers of customer satisfaction Quality of products or services Quality of staff communications and interactions with customers Ability to resolve customer issues and complaints in a satisfactory manner Ease and speed of executing customer transactions Providing the best possible price Strong corporate values and a socially responsible mission Availability and co-ordination of multi-channel communications and interactions with customers (including online, mobile and offline channels) 0 Quality of corporate communications and marketing messages Flexible exchange or refund policies 5 Source: Economist Intelligence Unit survey, November 0

4 media channels play a bigger role in the prepurchase phase of the customer journey while traditional human-interaction channels are seen as relatively more important during the purchase phase, causing a potential reverse showrooming effect. This suggests the need to rethink the balance and relative importance of different channels that drive customer experience and satisfaction. l Seamless omni-channel delivery is still rare, hampered by old habits and the lack of financial and human capital. Consumers particularly those considering purchasing from businesses with fewer than 5 employees are increasingly relying on multiple channels throughout their purchasing journey, especially when they research and select products and services. However, most businesses do not yet deliver a seamless omni-channel experience; only about one-fifth of survey respondents believe their company is able to do so. And their omni-channel delivery is more focused on the purchase phase and least targeted at the pre-purchase phase, where consumer omnichannel needs and behaviours seem to be concentrated. One-quarter of respondents indicate their omni-channel delivery is very weak 0% of respondents claim to offer a poorly co-ordinated omni-channel experience and about % offer no omni-channel experience across the entire customer journey. What prevents small businesses from providing better and more uniform omni-channel experiences? According to survey respondents, the top reasons are: insufficient funding, old habits and lack of human capital (all chosen as top-three obstacles by % of respondents). Other challenges include lack of technical skills, insufficient training and lack of focus from top leadership on the need to create an omni-channel experience for customers. Less common obstacles are lack of understanding of customer needs and behaviours and poor collaboration among departments. Nearly one-fifth of survey respondents report no major challenges and believe they already deliver a seamless omni-channel customer experience. Whether this reflects reality or is merely an inflated perception is a question to explore further. Smaller companies are considerably more likely to say they face no major obstacles, as well as to state that they offer a seamless omni-channel experience during both the purchase and post-purchase phases. Smaller companies generally have simpler Top challenges preventing companies from delivering a seamless omni-channel customer experience Lack of financial capital to invest in creating a seamless omni-channel customer experience Shortage of human capital required to co-ordinate the customer messaging and experiences across channels Strong dependence on one or two channels for driving company revenues and customer satisfaction No major challenges we deliver a seamless omni-channel customer experience Lack of training and skills to co-ordinate customer messaging and experiences across channels Lack of technical skills and knowledge to develop seamless customer messaging and experiences for emerging channels Lack of focus from top leadership on the need to create an omni-channel experience for customers Lack of understanding of the needs and behaviours of our customers across channels Poor collaboration and incentive alignment among different departments within the company Source: Economist Intelligence Unit survey, November 0

5 operations and are sufficiently focused on their customers, hence co-ordination is not as much of an issue. But they need to keep an eye on their customer satisfaction metrics to make sure they sustain this seamless experience as they grow. l The ability to recognise the customer, seamlessly complete transactions across channels and deliver a synchronised marketing message are key to customer satisfaction. When interacting with a business and a brand across different channels, customers want to feel that they are dealing with one entity an entity that speaks to them with the same voice and operates in a uniform, reliable manner regardless of which channel they happen to be using. It is not surprising, therefore, that survey respondents selected the ability to recognise the customer and track their preferences in different channels as the most important omni-channel feature (% rated it as very important or somewhat important), closely followed by the ability to initiate and seamlessly complete a transaction across different channels (5%). Addressing the customer with a synchronised marketing message and brand communication across channels was also deemed important. For the time being, small businesses rely on simple methods (or none at all) to ensure that they deliver co-ordinated and coherent experiences across channels. Twenty-nine percent of survey respondents say they actively solicit and act on customer feedback about channel experiences, while 0% admit to having no co-ordination tactics. More sophisticated small businesses rely on having top leadership actively focused on monitoring the coherence of customer experiences across channels, consolidating responsibility for content and activities across all channels under one senior executive, and developing all marketing content and customer experiences with customers omni-channel needs in mind. Most companies are focused on building and delivering omni-channel features to their customers, but investment may not be keeping up with demand. The survey reveals that between one-sixth and one-fifth of respondents admit to having weak capabilities in these areas and only -0% of respondents say their company plans to make significant investments in these features in the coming two years. Thus, many companies will be playing catch-up with the omni-channel leaders and customers expectations. In the meantime, the omni-channel train will keep moving. As these top-three features become table stakes in the future, attention will likely shift to the more sophisticated omni-channel capabilities, such as unified product assortment and pricing and real-time visibility of inventory across channels. l Delivering a seamless omni-channel customer experience is highly correlated with strong financial performance. What does it take to beat the competition? A number of things for sure, but one factor setting top performers apart seems to be a thorough understanding of their customers and the ability to give them a uniform experience across channels. The EIU survey shows a strong correlation between being a leader in omnichannel delivery and strong business performance across several key metrics. Respondents who rated their company as a market-leading omni-channel operator and innovator were more likely to outperform the competition in revenue growth (% vs % among non-market-leading omnichannels operators), beat profitability expectations (55% vs %) and exceed customer expectations (% vs 5%). At the core of this superior performance is a more sophisticated understanding of customer needs and satisfaction. Companies that beat profitability expectations are much more likely to deploy a variety of methods to measure customer satisfaction, such as conduct regular formal quantitative surveys (% vs % among companies that are on par with or do not meet profitability expectations), track and analyse frequency of customer referrals (% vs %), rate of repeat purchases by customers (% vs %) and customer complaints and product returns (% vs %). Small businesses, just as well as large ones, are

6 Methods used by companies to measure customer satisfaction and loyalty We do not have a formal method for measuring customer satisfaction and loyalty Maintain a qualitative measure of satisfaction based on ongoing in-person conversations with customers Track and analyse rate of repeat purchases by customers Track and analyse frequency of customer referrals Track and analyse customer complaints and product returns Conduct regular formal quantitative surveys of customer satisfaction Collect and analyse customer ratings and reviews of our products and services Conduct occasional spot surveys and interviews of customers Exceeded profitability expectations On par with profitability expectations Fell short of profitability expectations 0 Source: Economist Intelligence Unit survey, November 0 facing the omni-channel imperative. They are discovering the need to interact with their customers across the full spectrum of communication and transaction channels from in-person and phone interactions to Internet, mobile and to packaging and signage, and potentially other media. Those that overcome the inertia of old habits, invest in capturing pertinent customer information and in understanding the drivers of their customer satisfaction, and deliver a truly seamless customer experience throughout the customer journey and across channels will build a competitive advantage and achieve superior performance. 5

7 Appendix: Survey results Percentages may not add to 00% owing to rounding or the ability of respondents to choose multiple responses. In the past months, how has your company performed relative to your competitors with regard to revenue growth? Significantly outperformed the competition 5 Moderately outperformed the competition Performed on par with the competition Moderately underperformed the competition Significantly underperformed the competition 5 In the past months, how has your company performed relative to expectations with regard to profitability? Significantly exceeded expectations Moderately exceeded expectations Met expectations Fell moderately short of expectations Fell significantly short of expectations 5

8 In the past months, how has your company performed with regard to customer satisfaction? Significantly exceeded customer expectations Moderately exceeded customer expectations Met customer expectations Fell moderately short of customer expectations Fell significantly short of customer expectations Which of the following methods does your company use to measure customer satisfaction and loyalty? Maintain a qualitative measure of satisfaction based on ongoing in-person conversations with customers 5 Track and analyse rate of repeat purchases by customers Track and analyse frequency of customer referrals Track and analyse customer complaints and product returns Conduct occasional spot surveys and interviews of customers Conduct regular formal quantitative surveys of customer satisfaction Collect and analyse customer ratings and reviews of our products and services We do not have a formal method for measuring customer satisfaction and loyalty In your opinion, which of the following are the most critical drivers of customer satisfaction and loyalty? Quality of products or services Quality of staff communications and interactions with customers Ability to resolve customer issues and complaints in a satisfactory manner Ease and speed of executing customer transactions Providing the best possible price Strong corporate values and a socially responsible mission Availability and co-ordination of multi-channel communications and interactions with customers (including online, mobile and offline channels) 0 Quality of corporate communications and marketing messages Flexible exchange or refund policies 5

9 Through which of the following channels do customers commonly interact with your company and your brand? In-person human interaction channels (eg, brick-and-mortar stores, showrooms, branches, offices) Remote human interaction channels (eg, phone, online chat, online collaboration) Remote correspondence channels (eg, , SMS, text messaging) Traditional Internet channels (eg, websites, cloud solutions, online stores) Social media channels (eg, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube apps and websites) Public and trade event channels (eg, PR events, conventions, trade shows) Mobile channels (eg, mobile apps, mobile Internet, alerts) Non-traditional media channels (eg, blogs, online video channels) Traditional media channels (eg, TV, radio, print, outdoor advertising) 5 0 In your opinion, which of the following channels are most critical to driving greater customer satisfaction and loyalty? In-person human interaction channels (eg, brick-and-mortar stores, showrooms, branches, offices) Remote human interaction channels (eg, phone, online chat, online collaboration) Remote correspondence channels (eg, , SMS, text messaging) Traditional Internet channels (eg, websites, online stores, cloud solutions) 5 Social media channels (eg, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube apps and websites) Public and trade event channels (eg, PR events, conventions, trade shows) 0 Mobile channels (eg, mobile apps, mobile Internet, alerts) Traditional media channels (eg, TV, radio, print, outdoor advertising) Non-traditional media channels (eg, blogs, online video channels) 5 5 0

10 In which of the following channels has your company invested most heavily in the past years? In-person human interaction channels (eg, brick-and-mortar stores, showrooms, branches, offices) Remote human interaction channels (eg, phone, online chat, online collaboration) Remote correspondence channels (eg, , SMS, text messaging) Traditional Internet channels (eg, websites, cloud solutions, online stores) Social media channels (eg, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube apps and websites) Mobile channels (eg, mobile apps, mobile Internet, alerts) Public and trade event channels (eg, PR events, conventions, trade shows) Traditional media channels (eg, TV, radio, print, outdoor advertising) Non-traditional media channels (eg, blogs, online video channels) 50 In your view, which of the following channels are most critical to your customers experience during the pre-purchase phase (ie, when they discover, research, compare and decide to purchase your products and services)? In-person human interaction channels (eg, brick-and-mortar stores, showrooms, branches, offices) Remote human interaction channels (eg, phone, online chat, online collaboration) Remote correspondence channels (eg, , SMS, text messaging) Traditional Internet channels (eg, websites, cloud solutions, online stores) Social media channels (eg, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube apps and websites) Public and trade event channels (eg, PR events, conventions, trade shows) 0 Mobile channels (eg, mobile apps, mobile Internet, alerts) Traditional media channels (eg, TV, radio, print, outdoor advertising) 5 Non-traditional media channels (eg, blogs, online video channels) 50 5

11 In your view, which of the following channels are most critical to your customers experience during the purchase phase (ie, when they select, order and pay for your products and services)? In-person human interaction channels (eg, brick-and-mortar stores, showrooms, branches, offices) Remote human interaction channels (eg, phone, online chat, online collaboration) Remote correspondence channels (eg, , SMS, text messaging) Traditional Internet channels (eg, websites, cloud solutions, online stores) 0 Mobile channels (eg, mobile apps, mobile Internet, alerts) Social media channels (eg, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube apps and websites) Non-traditional media channels (eg, blogs, online video channels) Traditional media channels (eg, TV, radio, print, outdoor advertising) Public and trade event channels (eg, PR events, conventions, trade shows) 5 5 In your view, which of the following channels are most critical to your customers experience during the post-purchase phase (ie, when they receive, utilise and troubleshoot your products and services)? In-person human interaction channels (eg, brick-and-mortar stores, showrooms, branches, offices) Remote human interaction channels (eg, phone, online chat, online collaboration) Remote correspondence channels (eg, , SMS, text messaging) Traditional Internet channels (eg, websites, cloud solutions, online stores) Social media channels (eg, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube apps and websites) Mobile channels (eg, mobile apps, mobile Internet, alerts) Non-traditional media channels (eg, blogs, online video channels) Traditional media channels (eg, TV, radio, print, outdoor advertising) Public and trade event channels (eg, PR events, conventions, trade shows) 5 0 0

12 In your view, what is the pattern of your customers needs and behaviours when they interact with your company across the different phases of the purchasing journey? Consistently use multiple channels Sometimes use multiple channels Rarely use more than one channel Consistently use only one channel Don t know/not applicable Pre-purchase phase (ie, when customers discover, research, compare and decide to purchase products and services) 0 Purchase phase (ie, when customers select, order and pay for products and services) Post-purchase phase (ie, when customers receive, use and troubleshoot products and services) 5 How would you rate your company s delivery of an omni-channel experience to your customers across the different phases of the purchasing journey? Seamless omni-channel experience Somewhat co-ordinated omni-channel experience Poorly co-ordinated omni-channel experience No omni-channel experience Don t know/not applicable Pre-purchase phase (ie, when customers discover, research, compare and decide to purchase products and services) 5 Purchase phase (ie, when customers select, order and pay for products and services) Post-purchase phase (ie, when customers receive, use and troubleshoot products and services) 5 0 In your view, what are the main challenges preventing your company from delivering a seamless omni-channel experience for your customers? Shortage of human capital required to co-ordinate the customer messaging and experiences across channels Lack of financial capital to invest in creating a seamless omni-channel customer experience Strong dependence on one or two channels for driving company revenues and customer satisfaction No major challenges we deliver a seamless omni-channel customer experience Lack of training and skills to co-ordinate customer messaging and experiences across channels Lack of technical skills and knowledge to develop seamless customer messaging and experiences for emerging channels Lack of focus from top leadership on the need to create an omni-channel experience for customers Lack of understanding of the needs and behaviours of our customers across channels Poor collaboration and incentive alignment among different departments within the company

13 In your opinion, how important are the following omni-channel features to driving customer satisfaction and loyalty? Very important Somewhat important Not important Don t know/ Not applicable Synchronised marketing message and brand communication across channels 0 Ability to recognise the customer and track their preferences in different channels Co-ordinated promotions and marketing events spanning multiple channels Unified database of products and prices used across channels 5 Co-ordination and real-time visibility of inventory in different channels Ability to initiate and seamlessly complete a transaction across different channels 0 How would you rate the strength of your company s capabilities with regard to the following omni-channel features? Strong capabilities Moderate capabilities Weak capabilities Don t know/ Not applicable Synchronised marketing message and brand communication across channels 0 Ability to recognise the customer and track their preferences in different channels Co-ordinated promotions and marketing events spanning multiple channels 0 Unified database of products and prices used across channels Co-ordination and real-time visibility of inventory in different channels 0 Ability to initiate and seamlessly complete a transaction across different channels 0 In the next years, how extensively do you think your company will invest in the following omni-channel capabilities and features? High investment Moderate investment Low investment Don t know/ Not applicable Synchronised marketing message and brand communication across channels Ability to recognise the customer and track their preferences in different channels Co-ordinated promotions and marketing events spanning multiple channels Unified database of products and prices utilised across channels Co-ordination and real-time visibility of inventory in different channels 5 Ability to initiate and seamlessly complete a transaction across different channels

14 How do you identify and prioritise what investments to make and in which customer channels? Please select all that apply. Poll customers for their needs and opinions Track and analyse customer behaviours across channels Follow industry trends and adopt emerging best-practice strategies Strive to match or exceed the channel capabilities of our direct competition 0 Measure and analyse channel activity and transactions Rely on external consultants to assess periodically our channel capabilities Employ external experts to help us devise and implement our channel strategy Channel strategy is a top priority and our top leadership is actively engaged in omni-channel capabilities assessment and investment decisions 5 How are you ensuring that customer messaging and experiences are co-ordinated and coherent when customers interact with your company across different channels? Please select all that apply. We actively solicit and act on customer feedback about channel experiences Responsibility for content and activities across all channels is consolidated under one senior executive 0 Top leadership is actively focused on monitoring the coherence of customer experiences across channels 0 All our marketing content and customer experiences is developed with customers omni-channel needs in mind 0 We leverage the same technology and tools to deliver content and experiences in different channels We conduct regular staff training to ensure that employees understand our omni-channel capabilities and can communicate them well to customers Departments responsible for different channels and activities collaborate closely to ensure co-ordination We invite mystery shoppers, bloggers and reviewers to test and critique our customer experiences in different channels 0 Relative to your competition and other market players, how would you rate your company s position as an omni-channel operator and innovator? Market leader Early adopter Follower Laggard 0

15 In which region are you personally located? What is your primary industry? Northeast Midwest South West What are your organisation s global annual revenues in US dollars? $m or less $m to $5m $5m to $0m $0m to $0m Approximately how many people does your organisation employ? Professional services Retailing Construction and real estate Financial services Entertainment, media and publishing IT and technology Manufacturing Automotive Education Agriculture and agribusiness Consumer goods Government/Public sector Healthcare, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology Transportation, travel and tourism Chemicals Energy and natural resources Logistics and distribution Telecommunications Other, please specify What is your main functional role? General management Sales Operations and production Finance Customer service 5 Business development Marketing IT Communications Human resources Procurement and supply-chain management Other Which of the following best describes your title? Founder/Owner/CEO/President CFO/Treasurer/Comptroller CTO/CIO/Technology director CMO/Head of marketing Other C-level executive Head of business unit 5 SVP/VP/Director Manager 0 Other 5

16 Whilst every effort has been taken to verify the accuracy of this information, neither The Economist Intelligence Unit Ltd. nor the sponsor of this report can accept any responsibility or liability for reliance by any person on this white paper or any of the information, opinions or conclusions set out in the white paper. Cover: Shutterstock

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