CE consumer experience pales in comparison to facials
The IMS Retail University curriculum has grown beyond the foundation course focused on fundamentals. In the “Experiential Retailing” workshop, participants evaluate different retailer’s ability to engage consumers by personalizing their experience. Last week’s class yet again validated that the “ladies of body care” are heads and shoulders above the experience levels in consumer electronics.
The 5 Ps of Consumer Experience
Previous posts have highlighted the 5 Ps of experiential retailing. In view of the low ratings for consumer experience by last week’s Retail U class, the 5 core principles bear repeating:
· People
· Process
· Personalization
· Place
· Products (Solution)
The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. To truly create a “wow” consumer experience, the retailer must be able to execute the first four P’s in order to be able to earn the right to offer a product solution.
One of the tenets and principles of Retail University is that you must get “on the floor” to fully understand the dynamics of retailing. This is particularly true for best practices on how to engage consumers, and how to differentiate through experience and service.
Retail U shoppers rate CE experience at the bottom
Not surprising, the Retail U class found the consumer experience to be woefully lacking in retailers like Target, Walmart, and Sears. Indeed, it was just a challenge to find any store staff on the floor. When an employee was found, the typical response to a question was to point to an aisle … with some words of encouragement to search “over there”.
Best Buy is the last national US CE retailer with an assisted sales floor. Indeed, the new CEO, Brian Dunn, has made numerous statements about differentiating Best Buy through personal service via the “Blue Shirts”.
Therefore, it is quite remarkable to hear the “mixed reviews” of Best Buy from the Retail U shoppers. The best engagement and execution came from some of the Magnolia staff who did execute the 5 Ps. But even in Magnolia, a number of shoppers were never greeted … and simply left standing in aisle, trying to use some of the power items on display.
The Ladies of Body care blow away Best Buy on Experience
In the Experiential Retailing class, we ask the class to go out and shop for something they know, and for something outside of their comfort zone. When you shop for something you know and have researched, it is very easy to ask informed questions and guide the selling process. Said another way, when the shopper understands what they need, they make up for a lot of deficits in the sales person, process and merchandising.
When asked to go shop for something they know nothing about, the courageous males of the class go to The Body Shop, or Bath & Body Works to inquire about skin care. Inevitably, these shoppers are the last ones back, but the first to raise their hands to share their experience.
In fact, you can’t get the males or females, who shopped for skin care, to stop talking about their experiences! They rave about how they were greeted and made to feel comfortable in the store. Some are even offered tea. But, what is most compelling for the shoppers is how the “ladies of the store” take the time to ask lifestyle questions to personalize a solution … and a regime (process) for each individual consumer.
Results Count – The Proof is in the Bag!
While all Retail U participants are asked to complete a mystery shop evaluation for the 5 Ps, they are specifically told not make a purchase. What happens? In each class, several bring back “body bags” … and they can’t wait to show off their new skin regime purchases! It’s never a single item. In meticulous detail, they describe both why they need a total solution, and how the ladies customized skin care just for them!
Clearly, the “ladies of body care” are head and shoulders above “Blue Shirts”. They have “people skills” that make them highly successful in engaging consumers, in non-threatening ways, to sell very personal solutions. They also have a process and the training to execute a personalized experience consistently across different consumers.
Why aren’t there more women on the CE retail floor?
The enlightened CE retailers are trying to appeal to the CPO – the woman, who is the Chief Procurement Office of the home. Best Buy has even created a special pilot store appealing to women, designed by women. Best Buy store managers would do well to recruit some of these talented “ladies of body care” to balance out the male dominated blue shirts across all stores.
While people skills are necessary for engagement, they are not sufficient to create best of breed consumer store experience. The “ladies of body care” would not be as successful in any CE retailer without the other 4 Ps. Why is so hard for CE retailers to create an environment, and the process to personalize the experience for consumers based on lifestyle needs, versus tech specs? Perhaps, it is because many CE products are now commodities, sold as components on the basis of low price.
To execute Brian Dunn’s mission of differentiating on the basis of consumer experience will require a complete makeover of “Big Blue’s” ability to execute all 5 Ps at the same level of consistency as the “body shops”.
