Speech Summaries

James L. McQuivey Vice President Forrester Research, Inc.

Understanding The Multichannel Consumer

James L. McQuivey, Research Director, Forrester Research, formulated his discussion around the idea that companies can indeed meet consumer expectations when engaging in a multichannel arena by helping to clean up the multichannel mess consumers are in. Citing Forrester consumer survey data, James illustrated how multichanneling is actually the norm, with two-thirds of consumers already embracing it.

Consumers don't expect companies to answer and solve all of their problems; however, there are five main multichannel expectations that companies should focus on when embarking on the multichannel journey: 1) Be competent -- consumers want to get what they were promised in each channel; 2) execute smooth handoffs -- consumers want to be sent to the right channel the first time around; 3) recognize consumers -- consumers want to be remembered at key touchpoints regardless of what channel they're in; 4) provide help -- consumers want to have people near if they need assistance; and 5) allow freedom -- consumers want to leave a channel without penalties.

But do all of these expectations matter? Yes. Taking these expectations lightly can result in anything from fumbled handoffs and failed recognition to consumers leaving the brand completely if given the chance. So what should companies do? First, companies need to gather consumer insight by looking at their own consumers, not the masses. Companies need to learn what their consumers do across all of the channels offered and then from there look externally for inspiration by turning insight into action. Companies must commit resources to satisfying the expectations of consumers, as well as communicate to consumers what they will and will not do so expectations are right to begin with. Lastly, companies need to benchmark their experiences against themselves, their industry, and other industries.

Questions And Answers

Q: We hear that most consumers are time-starved and stressed, so how are they supposed to enjoy the process of jumping channels while shopping?

A: Consumers feel that jumping channels is the natural decision. You need to make this process as easy for them as possible. Consumers might be frustrated because they may not find the information that they want, or you may not be providing them with the right information because you don't know what they expect. These are the problems that need to get fixed. Consumers don't expect you to solve all of their messes for them, but you need to fix the ones you create.

Q: How far do you really have to go to satisfy your consumers?

A: There are legitimate reasons that you can't satisfy all of your consumers' problems to the very end. However, you need to anticipate that problems will occur and what kinds of problems will occur and try to solve those before they happen.