Holiday Shopping and the Customer Experience

Communications operators that play in consumer markets are retailers. So as the holiday shopping season is in full swing, operators need to remember that a quality customer experience is critical to capturing the greatest share of consumer purchases.  But, the retail concept has evolved while it continues to include brick and mortar stores, as well as online outlets, mobile devices are now channels through which operators can sell and cross-promote.

Successful online retail strategies must contain products are easy to find, orders that are placed with a single button push, and payment that is streamlined and happens in real-time. In a cross-promotional environment, factors such as location and timing become critical. There's a chance to offer a customer something special, and relevant, while they're still in the store or waiting in line to pay. Furthermore, retailers are battling for their share of surprisingly strong foot traffic and want to use personalized communications via mobile channels to keep customers coming in the door.

For the consumer this all seems simple-the operator should know who you are, know where you are, and make you an offer for something you want at just the right time as you rush around to fill out your holiday shopping list. Turning a mobile device into something akin to a personal shopping assistant, however, requires significant real-time capability behind the scenes. Operators need to collect and analyze behavioral data; identify location and understand what's relevant to it; and flawlessly execute real-time shopping, buying, payment, and follow-up transactions at mass scale.

Which piece of this equation is toughest for operators to deliver? Or is orchestrating all of the individual capabilities into a seamless whole the real challenge?