The biggest “pains” in the retail & e‑commerce industry

New technologies and digitalization bring new opportunities, but also new challenges, for the e-commerce and retail industry. Customers expect the same experience both offline in the shops and online in your e-commerce store. However, just snapping a few photos and bringing your product range online isn’t enough. You need to think customer-centrically and adopt a “digital-first” mindset. Addressing the emotional side of your customers’ shopping experience is decisive and digital journeys, together with curated marketplaces, should be at the top of your list.

In the retail and e-commerce sector especially, competition is huge. Big players like Amazon have perfected their online experience, starting from their product range, through pricing, and ending with delivery. But it’s more than just big players that are shaping the market. More and more smaller pure online retailers are entering the race and taking the wheel.

Although digitalization comes with completely new opportunities to enter new markets around the world, implementation is also a topic with many challenges. Markets around the globe can differ extremely when it comes to customer demands, as well as other circumstances like network speeds. Finding a new logistics provider that can ensure perfect delivery in your desired market can be a neverending story in itself. And that’s only a small piece of the many things you need to consider.

Three hands-on examples

Real user testing and mystery shopping

We make customer-centricity more than just a phrase. Whether you want to introduce a new referral program, a customer loyalty program, or check your delivery process after your customers hit the “Buy now” button, what you need is more than just a gut feeling of what your customers expect. You need direct feedback from your target group on processes and programs.
Does it work? Does the UX and UI represent what we want them to represent? Do our customers like what we plan to offer? Our testers have the answers to those questions.

We can also send them on cross-channel mystery shopping tours to give you unbiased and direct feedback on the experience online and offline. Our testers can complete a standard purchase, ask product-related questions, make a complaint, and more. Afterwards, you get direct feedback on your processes online and offline, as well as recommendations for areas of improvement.

Guidance services

Augmented reality is not just a buzzword that should be dropped from time to time. AR has already been spreading throughout the retail and e-commerce market for quite some time. Imagine the value you bring to your customers when they can try on clothes, shoes, or make-up virtually, while browsing through your online store. Or think about concepts where virtual reality and AI lead customers through the real-world aisles while checking their shopping list and helping them find everything they need. That would make life much easier for them and give you a huge competitive advantage, right?

Of course, it’s difficult to establish what customers really need and expect and what can be discarded as mainly a gimmick that most customers can do without. The easiest way to find out, again, is to ask your target group and receive immediate feedback. Regardless if it’s just an initial concept, a prototype, or already a fully developed product, crowdtesting will provide you with valuable insights on both UX and QA.

Perfect experiences all over the world

Imagine you have different brands and want to showcase them on websites all over the world. That can quickly become a huge project for your developers and designers. That’s why you should make sure that the website is perfectly suited to the needs of the different regions – it’s not only language and grammar that play an important role. The requirements for features and designs can vary significantly from region to region. That’s why it’s so important to test your websites with local users. That way you have the chance to check translations, but also to see if the UI is suitable for the intended market. Make sure your website’s or product’s look and feel meets the needs of the regional target audience to ensure a successful launch.

No matter if your target group are young female fashion lovers or male tech enthusiasts, we have your target group ready to give unbiased feedback for your digital product. Start making decisions based on facts and feedback from your exact target group and not just on gut feeling.