Discuss in Entrepreneur — The Future is ‘Phygital’: What Customer Experience Experts Need to Know
Discuss CEO Simon Glass in Entrepreneur:
Our customers’ world has changed. In just a few years, digital experiences went from being in the minority to the majority, nearly tripling since 2018, according to a McKinsey survey. Home became work, and going out meant ordering in. In the same study, it was estimated that growth in digital products and services jumped ahead by an average of seven years in 2020.
Market analysts predict that we will never go back to pre-pandemic buying behavior, and that the future will be more “phygital” — that is, physical and digital touchpoints that all connect and help organizations make more informed decisions that align better with customer needs. Think physical stores with sales reps who already know customers’ preferences from their online profile, or a mobile app that notifies customers of exclusive in-store events and offers discounts for in-store purchases.
But leading organizations should think about this beyond those marketing aspects. Consider market research. There’s a need to use customer data and digital surveys, but there’s also need to listen to in-depth feedback. That in-depth feedback could be from an in-person, live conversation, a virtual live conversation or a self-captured recording of a customer’s experience. That’s “phygital” customer research.
