Looking into the future is like looking into a crystal ball, especially when thinking about how people’s perceptions will change in the next 3 to 5 years. What makes it more complex is the growing number of dependencies involved.
Just 5 years ago, people bought expensive software for their large computers, and being smart meant having the knowledge yourself or knowing someone who did. Today there’s an app for everything on devices that become smarter by the day, and knowledge is freely available to those who can harness the tools to manage and use it. Expectations are always changing; now we shudder when we cannot get immediate confirmation of a purchase or next-day delivery—at little or no additional cost, or have to fight to get something exchanged.
All of these changes have turned our experiences into a continuum where multiple apps and services contribute over time to fulfill our needs. That means we do not have to rely on a single provider anymore and that we as the consumer have the power to create our own continuum. The choices we have allow us to act on what we want and not what we get offered.
Currently the continuum is fabricated around what we have done in the past and vendors are left to their best guesses based on the data trail we’ve left behind. For the future, this is not enough. To be successful, the continuum must reflect what consumers need, when they need it. That requires anticipation, and the only way to anticipate with more accuracy is to know why consumers are doing the things they do.
Understanding the why behind the what makes it possible to empathize and see things through the eyes of the consumer. This allows for a new continuum, where the consumer is able to co-create the content. That means more timely, relevant, and helpful services and content at the same time as building real insight based on real feedback—more talking, less stalking.
Maritz Research is transforming the way we think about the future of customer experience. Together with propriety technology we help companies start seeing the world through the eyes of the consumer. This transformation also means going beyond the traditional transaction-driven approach, and understanding how consumers feel with their complete experience. To learn more about this new approach, follow this link to watch an informational video.
