{"id":9793,"date":"2020-05-18T15:39:07","date_gmt":"2020-05-18T13:39:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gocx.eu\/uncategorized\/de-terugkerende-klant-wat-ons-na-de-lockdown-staat-te-wachten\/"},"modified":"2020-05-19T14:49:09","modified_gmt":"2020-05-19T12:49:09","slug":"the-returning-customer-life-after-lockdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gocx.eu\/en\/blog-en\/the-returning-customer-life-after-lockdown\/","title":{"rendered":"The returning customer: life after lockdown"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Online shopping\u2019s boom hardly comes as a surprise. Since the sudden entrapment of different parts of the world under a bell jar, and the closure of all non-essential retailers until social distancing measures are lifted, e-commerce has seen explosive growth. Different generations, including older people, are increasingly finding their way to online stores. For many, it\u2019s becoming a commonplace way to shop.<\/p>\n

It is often said that it takes 6 to 8 weeks for people to actually change their behaviour. But when Covid-19 came along, change happened overnight. People altered their behaviour \u2013 and have already stuck to these alterations for a few months. So it would be foolish to assume that once governments begin to ease restrictions, we\u2019ll all suddenly return to our old ways of late 2019, when no one had even heard of Covid-19.<\/p>\n

The change in customers’ behaviour<\/h2>\n

Companies across the world have been taking measures at various levels. After ad-hoc measures in the early stages of the crisis, like enabling all employees to work from home, we\u2019re now witnessing a shift to medium- and long-term measures. Which brings us to a key question: Will the world \u2013 including customers\u2019 behaviour \u2013 have changed irrevocably, or will everything go back to the way things were?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s not delude ourselves: the change in customers\u2019 behaviour won\u2019t be a temporary phenomenon. The question of what will happen to the virus in six months is best left to scientists. But how customers will behave is something we ourselves can predict. Until there\u2019s a solution that allows us to permanently get rid of the virus, we\u2019ll remain cautious. This means digital channels will continue to do well, and customer journeys will remain changed. By definition, these journeys will be different at companies that offer the best customer experience: they\u2019ll be effortless and bring added value, in line with these companies\u2019 brands and consistent with everything else they do.<\/p>\n

Ten years from now, we\u2019ll still remember what 2020 was like, as it will have had such an impact on our lives. Many believe this could become a turning point: an opportunity to start doing things differently. And these new attitudes, beliefs and values are giving rise to new behaviours and habits.<\/p>\n

Of course, things won\u2019t look as bad as the most pessimistic scenarios predict. No one wants to see brick-and-mortar stores and retailers disappear, and companies will see a large share of their customers return once they get the opportunity to do so.<\/p>\n

But two questions remain:<\/p>\n

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  1. When will customers return, and do companies have the time (read: money) to wait until that moment?<\/li>\n
  2. Will we be able to meet our customers\u2019 new expectations?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    For most organisations, the answer to the first question is clear-cut: they don\u2019t have the time to sit around and rest on their laurels, waiting for their customers to return. Organisations that don\u2019t have a digital presence yet will have to put the pedal to the metal to bring their digital platforms up to scratch \u2013 or at the very least keep up with their competitors. And these competitors could pop up anywhere: we\u2019re no longer solely talking about old-school competitors from the same sector, but also about alternatives that have become available and visible to consumers.<\/p>\n

    The second question is whether customers\u2019 new expectations will be met. Will companies\u2019 customer experience correspond with the new experiences customers have gained during lockdown? Or, in other words: will your customers actually return to you, or will they jump ship because your customer experience doesn\u2019t live up to the experience offered by competitors, which they now implicitly expect?<\/p>\n

    At the moment, running out of cash is without a doubt a real danger for many organisations. But companies shouldn\u2019t lose sight of the next challenge, which will be even harder to tackle \u2013 namely, offering customers a remarkable customer experience.<\/p>\n

    What is a remarkable customer experience?<\/h2>\n

    Now, more than ever, it is important to deliver remarkable customer experience. With it you can attract new customers, offer a better service, lose fewer existing customers and generate a higher lifetime value. A remarkable customer experience offers a higher Return on Experience (RoX).<\/p>\n

    Remarkable customer experience:<\/p>\n