Today is day 1 of the Retail Week Conference 2008. I arrived in time for the breakfast briefing, sporting a Conchango t-shirt. My trim figure barely made a dent in the XL Conchango t-shirt leaving plenty of room for a couple of colleagues to squeeze in. After a much-needed caffeine injection and over-indulgence in fresh croissants I brushed aside any early morning cobwebs. I was now ready share my retail and user experience wisdom with MD's and CEO's from some of the UK's largest retailers.
With myself, Dan and Justin making up a follicly-challenged trio resembling the Mitchells of the Consultancy world, it took Richard D, Lynne and Nik to make us appear more Dynasty than Eastenders.
Image: Conchango's very own Mitchell family (below)
Image: Conchango's more glamorous consultants (below)
My t-shirt concerns were nothing compared to the horror on Nik’s face when he was presented with a medium slim-cut t-shirt. His generous frame squeezed inside this tight number made him look like he was heading for a night out at G.A.Y. (again)
Image: Nik camps it up (below)
So what are we doing at Retail Week and why are we sporting these Conchango branded t-shirts? Conchango is one of the key sponsors at Retail Week 2008. This event is a great opportunity to hear some of the highest caliber speakers in the UK retail market discuss those issues that retailers are facing in an increasingly competitive marketplace and how best to shape their business strategies. Our very own CEO, Mike Altendorf, is talking about the challenges of tomorrow. Catch his presentation about "Engaging the Facebook generation" on day 2 at 11.55.
Although I am looking forward to hearing Charlie Mayfield, Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, discuss brand loyalty and the closing-day Interview with Sir Stuart Rose, Chief Executive for Marks and Spencer, my challenge for today is to make up a 6-person team manning the Conchango stand and offer delegates an impromptu 30-minute eCommerce assessment . I’m representing the Experience arm of Conchango.
So what can I say about user experience that the delegates haven’t heard before? Perhaps nothing, but I’m not worried about repeating myself. If last years must-do experience enhancements are still not being implemented then they're worth saying again and again and again...
Many retailers still force their customers to register, fail to give customers reassurance at key times of their shopping experience or offer poor quality images and a few lines of uninspiring copy so that their customers have insufficient product data to make a purchase decision, and so much more. The list of barriers that retailers put up is endless and it’s these barriers areas that need to be addressed to rejuvenate flagging conversion rates.
I will repeat my usual mantra of simplifying the checkout process, displaying shipping details upfront, highly visible support options, improving findability, reinforcing trust and credibility before I even discuss the web 2.0 elements such as user generated content. For many retailers it's still about getting the basics right. My focus isn’t just online. The customer experience covers the entire end-to-end experience and extends beyond the website. Every single touch point is an opportunity for their customers to experience the brand and to build customer loyalty. So I'll be looking beyond the online experience at fulfillment and multichannel strategies.
So if you are at Retail Week 2008 today or tomorrow and want to discuss your companies eCommerce offering then please come along to our stand for a friendly chat.
P.S. Conchango are recruiting! If any of my ramblings interest you and you are passionate about User Experience then we'd like to hear from you. Why not contact me and let's have a chat?
Comments