DIGITAL CHANNELS IN BUSINESSES

THE USE OF DIGITAL CHANNELS IN BUSINESSES

With the introduction of the first commonly used commercial websites in the 1990s, digital technology brought a new level of convenience to customers. However, digital convenience came at the expense of meaningful engagement as digital transactions substituted physical interactions. In addition, digital channels develop in isolation, resulting in inconsistency and dislocation between digital and physical channels.

 The legacy is one of frustration for today’s customers, when for example they find they cannot complete an interaction they began online when they walk into the store. The frustration is particularly felt by digital natives who have grown up used to immediacy and convenience and expect to be ‘known’ at every interaction with a company, regardless of the channel in which they choose to engage. Now, however, new technologies exist that make it easier than ever before for companies to bring channels together, and to deliver a consistent engagement model whether customers choose to ‘tweet’ or to take their feet to the street.

 Innovative companies are taking the elements of each channel that their customers value most, and combining them to deliver a more valuable experience overall. For example, fashion retailer All Saints has integrated the convenience of web browsing in their physical stores by adding internet enabled kiosks on-site, so customers can browse and check availability on-line, and then try the item on in-store and get the best of both worlds. Apple stores use mobile Point of Sale terminals to add the convenience of ‘click to pay’ to their physical shopping experience and provide customers with an email receipt from the POS terminal.

Organizations must focus on delivering a seamless and meaningful cross-channel engagement model for their stakeholders. shows how the engagement model has changed to date, and how it may evolve in the future. To get this right will require an agile strategy that means incorporating the latest technology as it is released, and adopting a test and learn approach.

In conclusion of that, companies should adopt a continuous improvement strategy, launching new digital channels early and iterating based on customer feedback.

By:  ULAYA SIJALI A. (BAPRM 42681)