Thirty-two per cent of customers will walk away from their favourite brand after a single bad experience, according to a PwC study, so even at the height of the pandemic, US apparel and footwear company VF Corporation remained focused on putting customer needs first. “When everything was going digital, we really took a deep dive and asked our consumers what they needed from us and we looked into what the sentiment was, as many other brands did too, but we wondered, how do we respond to the nee
needs of the consumers during lockdown?,” Haley Nemann, VF Corporation senior manager for Shopper Insights & Experience, said during the recent eTail Summit.
VF Corporation is the parent company of The North Face, Vans, Timberland and Dickies, among others.
With customer behaviour and preferences disrupted during lockdown, the business had to adjust its approach and better understand where their customers shop and why they are using that platform.
“We had to make sure that we’re everywhere, this was actually the hard part, because consumers are everywhere,” she said. “And as we look at the younger consumers and at their specific journey map, it’s insane. They look at 18 different touch points before they make a decision to buy something.”
Nemann explained that a customer might browse a brand’s products on various different platforms including marketplaces like Amazon or the brand’s own site before buying the item.
“A shopper might be loyal to your brand but not to your channel,” Nemann said. “So consumers may want to purchase your items that are displayed on Amazon because they’re looking for a better price or better shipping.”
Understanding the impact those touchpoints have on the consumer’s purchasing decision was important for VF Corporation to offer a seamless shopping experience, and has been included as one of the top priorities in their various qualitative and quantitative studies.
“It’s like for example, if the customers are looking at other channels because of price, are they looking at a deal or discount or do they just want to get a lower price on something or is it that they want to get the best price for something,” Nemann said. “So when understanding what that need is can we act on some of those consumer behaviours.”
Mapping the customer shopping journey
Mapping the customer journey was another strategy the company looked into and had to undertake during the pandemic.
“We looked at the consumer’s action at a category level like what does that buyer want from our category, so if he or she is buying a jacket, what is his or her needs for a jacket as a whole, and then where’s the opportunity gap in North Face or in any of our other brands to do better for that consumer,” Nemann said.
Sarah Pawlak, digital personalisation manager at The North Face, said they wanted to take the customer journey to another level by replicating the in-store experience by having representatives available online and on the phone to assist with online purchases.
Pawlak said they also paid close attention to their marketing and communication, supporting customers to make informed decisions about their purchases.
“If our customer wanted a jacket for skiing, we provided them a step-by-step layering guide on the site,” Pawlak said.
“Another thing we’re working on is the Jacket Finder. So, say they want a lightweight jacket for hiking in the rain and how do we walk that consumer through that process,” she said.
The North Face partnered with athletes and created a series of How To videos like How To Prepare to go Camping or How to Prepare to Go Hiking.
“We took the athletes’ recommendations and talked it through in these videos and encouraged our consumers, ‘here are the best shoes for hiking that we can offer you’,” Pawlak said.
According to Eleonora Pantano, a senior lecturer and associate professor of marketing at the University of Bristol and also one of the authors of Journal of Business Research, regular and relevant communication between retailers and customers is paramount to improve understanding and help manage expectations.
“Sharing information on product availability and being transparent about purchasing restrictions on any particular products will help maintain a flow of timely information,” Pantano said.
Nemann said the increased use in digital over the last year has sparked a lot of conversations about customer satisfaction and that they want to make sure their strategies are aligned with what they’re trying to achieve.
“There is no one-size-fits-all solution, it’s really about understanding who your consumer is and what they expect of you.”