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Business Market Research and Consumer Market Research
Case Studies: Internet Voice Of The Customer
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 NBC Releases 6 Web Customer Experience
Best Practices
Judith Dutch, Vice President,
NBC Universal, Retail Operations
& Consumer Marketing
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For many people, "The Peacock" or NBC's brand carries powerful associations and expectations.
Even though my area of responsibility is on-line and off-line retail sales, we are mindful of what customers experience when they "visit" us physically or virtually.
In an effort to identify strategies for significantly improving our customer's web and e-marketing experience, we recently asked ERDM to conduct Voice of Customer Relationship Research.
Following are some important findings.
I. Summary of Findings
A. Customer Expectations of the On-Line NBC Brand Experience Were Remarkably High
Consumers were stimulated to visit the NBCU on-line store by the shows and formed very definite expectations of the experience they expected on-line.
This was expressed as the:
- “Connection” they expected to feel with the site.
- Visual appearance and excitement they expected on the site.
If this “connection” and experience did not occur, people felt a meaningful sense of disappointment regarding their unmet expectations of the NBC brand.
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Tip 1: Do not underestimate the brand expectations and “connection” people want to experience on your site.
- People aren’t just coming to buy!
- While people were clearly going to the NBCU online store to browse and shop, per the above this needed to be much more than just a transactional experience. If this didn’t occur, people abandoned.
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B. Consumers Are Increasingly Web Savvy and Will Hold Your Site to a High Standard
We were surprised by how web savvy our customers are. They are sophisticated on-line shoppers and brought high expectations regarding the performance of our site based on their best-in-class on-line experiences with other sites.
| Tip 2: Your customers are increasingly sophisticated on-line shoppers. They will not be shy about holding you accountable to meet their perceptions of best-in-class on-line performance per their other favorite sites. |
C. Ease of Navigation, Personalization and Visual Appeal are Expected
Given the sophistication of many on-line shoppers, they simply expect the following:
- Ease of navigation is mandatory!
- Appropriate levels of personalization, especially in remembering product preferences and making recommendations based on recent search behavior.
- Visually appealing, uncluttered site which is consistent with your brand.
Tip 3: Consumers will be quick to abandon your site in favor of others if the following are not up to their standards:
- Ease of navigation, as customers define it.
- Relevant and useful levels of personalization.
- Visually appealing site which is consistent with your brand.
- Stay away from drab colors, i.e. “storm cloud gray” and “seas of white”.
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D. Product Mix Must Reflect a Broad Customer Base
Customers resent it if products are too narrowly focused on a particular segment, be it age, gender or size.
Tip 4: Do not risk alienating a segment of your customer base because your product offerings are perceived as too narrow or exclusionary.
- Sizes only for “petites”.
- Products only for the young.
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E. On-Going Communications are an Integral Part of The On-Line Experience
Customers expect relevant on-going communications after they have purchased on-line.
These communications are viewed as helpful reminders / triggers to visit the site. They are also viewed as the company “caring” about the relationship.
| Tip 5: As long as you present a compelling value proposition, customers are willing to opt-in and self-profile their preferences so the company can use this information to drive relevant and increasingly targeted on-going communications. |
F. Product Fulfillment is an Integral Part of the On-Line Experience
Customers expect the on-line experience to include their receipt of the product.
A plain envelope or box with product and an invoice thrown in is a turn-off!
Tip 6: Think of the fulfillment process as a relationship building and sales opportunity:
- Include a personalized thank-you letter.
- For valued customers, include an occasional surprise gift of a discount coupon as a way of saying “we appreciate you.”
- Think carefully about the visual impact and appeal of the box or envelope.
- Per proven direct response practices, always include a product catalog.
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Contact Us for a complimentary consultation to discuss your needs and how the Voice Of The Customer Market Research process may satisfy them.
Voice of the Customer Relationship Research™ process is a trademark of Ernan Roman Direct Marketing
Creating Integrated Marketing Solutions | Customer Relationship Management Solutions | Customer Relationship Marketing
Contact Us for a complimentary consultation to discuss your needs and how the 3-Step Marketing Process®can solve them.
Customer Relationship Marketing | Creating Integrated Marketing Solutions | Business Market Research & Consumer Market Research | Customer Relationship Management Solutions |
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