In recent years, accelerated digitalization, driven by technological advancements and social changes, has altered how people interact with brands and products. Consequently, our behavior as consumers has undergone an unprecedented transformation. Easy access to information coupled with the instant possibility of online shopping and the multiplicity of channels have made the consumption process much more dynamic and demanding. In this new scenario, merely offering a quality product or service is no longer enough, making the experience, along with the purchasing journey, the true competitive differentiator.
The growth of e-commerce and the adoption of subscription services are reflections of this new reality. Public expectations and demands for convenience and speed have never been higher. A good example of this is the fact that today’s consumers no longer differentiate between digital and physical. They want an integrated, seamless, and personalized experience across any channel. According to Salesforce data, 75% of customers expect consistency in their purchasing journey, regardless of the point of contact. This means, for example, that brands need to go beyond selling and strive to build smarter and more strategic connections, no matter the path.
For this reason, omnichannel has ceased to be a trend and become an urgency. Companies that fail to offer a cohesive and seamless journey between physical stores, websites, apps, and social media lose ground to better-prepared competitors. Additionally, automation and immediate responsiveness are crucial to ensuring agile and frictionless interactions, also boosting customer loyalty. Proof of this is that 73% of consumers consider experience a decisive factor for continuing to purchase from a brand, according to Forbes.
The experience economy has also transformed retail, with people increasingly seeking memorable interactions aligned with their values. A PwC survey reveals that 86% of consumers are willing to pay more for a superior shopping experience. Today, competitive differentiation often hinges more on personalization and efficient service itself than on product quality comparisons.
Personalization is another critical point. Brands that understand their customers’ preferences and offer tailored interactions can increase their revenue by 6% to 10%, according to BCG studies. Thanks to the increasingly evident advancements in artificial intelligence, lack of data can no longer serve as an excuse. The difference lies in the intelligent use of this information, as well as the ability to translate it into efficient strategies capable of impacting the right audience at the right time with the right narrative.
A more recent but no less important topic is the social, environmental, and governance impact of brands—better known as ESG. Brands that fail to reflect these values in their discourse and actions are being sidelined in favor of those that do their homework and present it attractively. Remember, it’s not enough to rely on positioning or catchy phrases—practice counts much more for a brand to be effectively seen as socially and environmentally responsible.
It is evident that commerce is undergoing significant changes, with increasing emphasis on customer experience. Brands investing in innovations like multichannel offerings and communication, as well as ESG initiatives, build stronger long-term relationships with customers. So much so that it’s fair to say retail now stands at a crossroads where it must either reinvent itself or see its market share shrink.
