The impact of the pandemic has forever changed the way businesses operate. A record number of brands moved their operations online in 2020 when in-store shopping restrictions were set in place, which prohibited customers from shopping at their favorite stores like normally.
With the reliance on e-commerce becoming a prominent factor in sales and total revenue, many businesses made the decision to digitally transform their brand to meet the new demands of retail shopping.
Although digitally transforming a brand is not a new concept, a large number of well-known retailers have taken measures to either update their toolkit and online features, or go a step further and create completely new ones as a result of the now heightened online shopping reliance.
From small to big, it became mandatory for businesses to take on the challenges of digital transformation trends head first.
What is digital transformation?
Digital transformation is the process of using digital technologies to positively alter already existing — or create brand new — business processes, practices and customer experiences based on changing business, market and industry demands.
In other words, successfully building a digital transformation strategy encompasses modifying the way a brand engages with its consumers and the ways in which they provide them with a consistent customer experience at any time.
Changing consumer habits
Ensuring that your customers receive the best experience possible when interacting with your brand should be a top priority for most businesses. When brands go through a digital transformation, they are generating highly engaged consumers, which on average buy 90% more than other customers. This is just one of the reasons why digital transformation is important in business environments nowadays.
Overall, it’s safe to say that digital technology has revolutionized consumer habits.
Customers now have access to what they want whenever they want it due to mobile devices, computers, applications, machine learning, and automation. This innovative tech has caused shifts in customer expectations, creating a new kind of modern buyer.
Modern customers are consistently connected, take advantage of apps and understand the power of technology.
Due to the rise in internet technologies, the majority of consumers rank brands depending on their initial online customer experience.
Technology forces businesses to reconsider how they engage with their consumers. Here’s how some popular retailers successfully reaped the benefits of digital transformation:
Retailers who successfully digitally transformed
Walgreens goes mobile first
Walgreens has successfully stayed at the forefront of business process reengineering and digital transformation, embracing a mobile-first mindset that encourages in-store shopping and strengthens customer loyalty. From personalized offers to discounts to digital refill prescriptions, Walgreens has created a well-liked customer-centric company.
Nike’s innovative strategy
Nike’s emphasis on mobile tech has inspired them to create an app that measures a customer’s foot and finds the perfect shoe that fits. The app also collects data based on consumer reviews about improvements that can be made to specific products.
Walmart and its “spendy” IT
Walmart has been an established digital transformation trailblazer for quite some time now.
As the third-largest spender on IT in the world, Walmart has successfully built its tech team to improve customer shopping across all its stores with ideas like electronic shelf labels and robots.
Target’s personalization and consumer loyalty
Target’s app has over 27 million users and records customer insights like shopping habits and trends. The developers are now implementing AI/AR within the app to offer better personalization and create valuable shopping experiences for every consumer using the app.
Sephora’s digital merge
Sephora was one of the first brands to realize the importance of customer experience. After starting with personalized email campaigns, the cosmetics retailer developed an app that allows users to virtually test makeup products, allowing consumers to feel confident with their purchases.
All of these brands have become inspiring leaders in creating a culture of digital transformation.
Is your brand in need of a digital transformation? Our digital marketing experts can help design an e-commerce site guaranteed to boost sales! Let’s talk!
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