For any business to be successful, one has to understand the customer needs, the kind of inventory available and how best one can sustain in a competitive environment even while satisfying most customer needs. An important role is played by customer experience in paving the path as based on these innovations are worked on and created. Even the most basic of the things that come with some innovation attracts the customers and this is across verticals and products be it the mobile phones or a piece of clothing. With the rising customer expectations, customer experiences are no more an option but imperative for a successful inning. More so, with the onset of social media and easy connectivity, customer feedback can make or break businesses.

The Importance of Innovations for the Apparel Industry

Innovation is the key for any product’s success. While earlier the apparel industry would invest in huge physical retail stores, today the game plan has changed completely with the companies having equal number of warehouses to cater to the customer in a timely manner. Companies have shifted to catering to the customers in the way they like, instead of bending the customers to what they offer.

Today, there exists a very thin line between the physical and virtual world, and one of the biggest fights for businesses is to keep pace with the ever changing competition even while satisfying the evolving customers.

Virtual fashion shows to check on the latest collections and options like uploading a full body image to try on the clothes available online, are some of the many options that keep a customer glued with the brand.

Providing the option of customised clothing solutions even when there is also the generic collection available, access to a store through mobile vans and leveraging the online medium optimally are some of the many innovations. In addition to excellent quality of garments, what customers want are equally excellent or superior services, which if provided will take the company to great heights.

While these are some of the popular innovations today, tomorrow might see something completely path-breaking.

Demystifying the Customer Experience

Fully knowing about the customer experience is very important for businesses to grow as these would not only determine whether the products are a hit, but whether they will continue to be in demand as well. It’s a common mistake that people make by confusing customer opinion for customer experience. Customer opinion can be with or without the customer using a particular product, which cannot be considered for making actual business decisions.

On the other hand, customer experience is different. When a person uses a particular product, the experiences that come along is self-attested and hence form the foundation for innovations based on feedback. When this feedback is taken seriously and the changes suggested are implemented, it drives customer loyalty. The customer also is happy that the brand takes its audience seriously and hence secures a bond forever with the brand. Thus, measuring the customer experience is the stepping stone for conceiving innovations.

One can size the customer experience on any budget and there is actually not a specific budget that has to be earmarked.

In short, customer feedback or reaction on the entire buying process and owning the product is necessary for businesses to grow. Today, customers are ever changing and businesses have to keep pace to survive in the competition. With customer experience getting measured, customers are more involved in the making and growing of the business and hence are abreast about the happenings in the company.

How Start-Ups Can Make Use of the Customer Experience

Start-ups who have to prove a point and become popular have to uniquely position themselves and this can be decided based on the customer assessment. By implementing a few strategies, they can map the customer feedback and leverage it in their best interests.

Change the funda of customer engagement centre: Instead of concentrating on the channel, concentrate on the customer. By mapping the touch points of customer experience, it is suggested to create a strategy which will include solutions for customer engagement solutions that will aid in real-time access to customer analytics and information. For instance, interactive bills with customers can resolve their queries right at the beginning instead of going back and forth.

Personalized options: Today customers want to use the digital option to the optimum so that they can be independent, achieve proficiency and customer satisfaction and convenience at all times. For this the online medium is a big blessing and companies are necessarily taking leverage of this medium to be present and cater to customer needs. There are videos that help in sharing solutions that help maximize the business effect of the online medium based on customer experiences.

When It Works the Other Way

Although customer experience is very crucial for businesses to be successful today, depending on them hugely will also empower the customers and leads to a different situation where they can be demanding, unpredictable and also piqued. Under these circumstances, the business will feel caught helpless between the customers. So, while customer experience is essential for brand building, there have been instances of self-centred experiences which have hampered the once step-by step journey.