MARKETING AFRICA MAL 18/17 mal 18:17 online | Page 14

into online sales: using online tools.
The case studies presented focus
on enabling ecommerce, online
advertising budget spends and
having a social care network where
consumers can get customer service.
If you take a critical look at the
examples, what we term as digital
growth was actually necessitated
by the existing operating
environments of the digital space. No
transformation took place. The digital
world only matured. Transformation
should not focus on digital at all but
rather should be focused around the
customer – who lives both online and
offline.
The microwave generation has
consistently been profiled as living in
a digital bubble while the reality is
that they live both online and offline.
When asked about how digital affects
them, they don’t even seem to know
they are affected because the people
asking the question are the ones truly
affected.
Truth is they found themselves in
the digital age given the time they
were born but they would still like
to experience the world before the
digital age. They have also grown up
with information and convenience
and therefore do not know how to
live without it.
When asked if they prefer to shop
online, they said they still like to
visit stores to shop. They browse
online and then visit stores. Out of
convenience, they shop online. Their
preference however is to visit a stall
where they are sure they will get
what they are looking for. They have
redefined convenience.
While at the mall, they turn the visits
into multi media events using their
phones. This is the perfect description
of a consumer stuck between an
online and offline world. Online,
they want convenience of being sure
that they go where they will find the
12 MAL 18/17 ISSUE
‘‘ The existing online
customer journey
requires a multitude
of apps – Google for
price comparison,
WhatsApp for a
friend’s opinion, a
banking app to check
your bank balance,
Mpesa to transact
and some human
intervention through
Uber to track your
delivery or through a
rider to deliver your
order. The alternative
would be to compare
prices, seek a friend’s
opinion, check
your banking app,
then join a queue to
transact.’’
product, but they still want the offline
experience of going into a store to
get it.
Online vs. Offline Customer Journey
The existing online customer journey
requires a multitude of apps – Google
for price comparison, WhatsApp
for a friend’s opinion, a banking
app to check your bank balance,
Mpesa to transact and some human
intervention through Uber to track
your delivery or through a rider to
deliver your order. The alternative
would be to compare prices, seek a
friend’s opinion, check your banking
app, then join a queue to transact.
Fashion retailer Superdry has tried
to make the online and offline
experience to its store a lot more
quick and convenient. The retailer
has installed a “smart mirror” at its
flagship store in Berlin, allowing
shoppers to virtually try on items
from its collection.
The mirror uses body tracking to
capture the motion of the user and
replicate it through their reflection,
a computer animated character who
is able to wear a range of apparel, all
while standing in front of the mirror.
When not in use, the mirror becomes
a dynamic aspect of the store design
that showcases the collection.
This is a creative example of a
fulfilling online offline experience.
The customers’ needs of speed and
convenience are met. They won’t need
to try on all the clothes in the store
for hours on end and at the same
time, they get to see and feel what
they are purchasing.
A full online experience, in an online
world however would use virtual
reality or augmented reality to
achieve this same retail experience.
A pair of augmented reality glasses
or on any device that allows this
feature would allow the consumer to
generate reviews, get into a virtual
changing room and try on the
clothes, send the image to a friend
for an opinion. On check out, it will
request for an account balance, allow
a transaction and send a receipt via
email. This process would be a matter
of minutes.
Transforming Digital
Transforming consumer experiences
therefore still boils down to solving
a customer problem by giving them
more information than what they
can see and offering a value added
‘experience’ instead of trying to bend
the consumer into a new behavior.