Despite the fact that we are producing more data than ever before, using this data to engage customers and drive sales is an ongoing challenge for retailers. In this Q&A with RetailTechNews, Chris Wood, vice president, UK retail, Salesforce, discusses what retailers can be doing to turn this around, and other challenges faced by the industry. 

RetailTechNews: Two-thirds of customers feel brands don’t know them well enough. What can brands be doing to close this customer gap?

Chris Wood: Technology is fundamentally changing the way we shop today. Customers no longer embark on a linear path to purchase. Today's customer is always connected and they interact with brands across multiple touchpoints. They’re researching online to find the best deals and products before they even make a decision to go in-store.

We know that shopping journeys are complex nowadays. They are driven by experiences and can be initiated anytime and anywhere. These nonlinear customer journeys don't have to be a challenge, though – they can create great opportunities for retailers to engage. Each interaction fuels brands with valuable customer data. But today’s customer is also looking for value back from the brand when they choose to share that data. This is particularly true when it comes to the millennial generation. In the 2017 Connected Shoppers Report, we saw two-thirds of millennials say that they’re willing to share information with a brand in order to receive a better, more personalised experience.

One of the big challenges facing retailers is not just in collecting that customer data, but in managing and processing the information they capture. Savvy retailers are focusing on how they use the customer information they have to deliver a seamless shopping experience. By connecting each part of the journey, brands can achieve one single view of the customer. They can then engage the customer with personalised messages – and, importantly, deliver this level of service at scale.

Amazon’s speed and convenience is what they have become known for, and has set the bar for retailers. Can retailers hope to compete with this? How can they stay competitive in this space?

Amazon has continued to innovate and offer customers new ways of accessing goods and services and, in some respects, they have set the standard in terms of speed and convenience that many retailers need to achieve. Making it easy to shop with you has to be a key priority. Inevitably, retailers have feared Amazon's success; but instead, they should be playing to their own strengths and adapting to the digital world.

The key to maintaining loyalty, even as a company grows and evolves into other services, is to ensure that retailers have a clear definition of their values and purpose. It’s important to stay true to this across all platforms, as well as focusing on delivering memorable experiences to customers.

There are some great examples out there of retailers combining deep heritage with continued innovation. We've seen brands like New Balance create personalised in-store experiences, such as customised apparel and products. But now brands are looking ahead at how virtual technology can captivate in-store customers. And it doesn't stop there. I've seen brands that are planning to take customisation one step further, using VR to show customers the factory where these custom-made products come to life. Creating immersive experiences like this gives customers the opportunity to connect with a brand's values.

With brands and retailers collecting data from so many touchpoints, how can they turn this into meaningful insights?

Most retailers today have evolved past thinking that their mobile, e-commerce, and in-store strategies are three separate entities. They recognise the need to focus on delivering a consistent customer experience across them all. By unifying customer data across platforms, and creating a full customer view, associates at every touchpoint can be ‘smarter’ with customers.

Putting this information to work, they can provide complete and proactive services to customers, moving the associate role from a ‘check out’ process at the counter to a ‘check in’ process when the customer walks through the door.

As well as that, we're seeing the role of sales associates transform from salesperson to brand ambassador. Retailers need to supercharge these associates so they are empowered to delight shoppers and are less encumbered by manual processes and antiquated tools.

In the next 12 months, I think we'll see retailers really ramping up their strategy in this area to turn meaningful insights into personalised customer experiences, integrating digital browsing or purchasing with in-store interactions.

What insights can CRM systems help deliver to retailers?

CRM systems are the key to helping retailers unlock the power of data and deliver value at scale with 360-degree views of the customer. Many retailers have vast amounts of customer data today, but it exists in silos and often isn't accessible in real time. Joining this data means retailers are better equipped to use market insight to deliver innovation. Analytics-driven solutions, such as Einstein, help retailers to unify the experience. In turn, it enables the customer to get the service they want, when and where they want – seamlessly moving from online, to mobile, to in-store – rather than being limited to where the retailer is.

What effect will the GDPR have on retailers’ ability to use data to drive sales?

Despite concerns, the GDPR presents a huge opportunity for retailers to drive success and partner with their customers on personal data: how it is collected, how it is used, and who gets to use it. If retailers look at the GDPR as part of their efforts to become entirely focused on the customer, it can spearhead incredible change and deliver a competitive advantage. This content was originally published in RetailTechNews.