Digital Transformation and the Experience Era

The following article was first printed in the eTail Nordic 2022 Benchmarking Report. Visit here to download the full report and see additional survey results.

Digital transformation. It’s a phrase that’s been around for quite some time now, cited by businesses across industries to demonstrate a commitment to innovation and an ability to keep up with modern times. Yet for all the years that companies have spent focused on digital transformation, it seems digital experience has gotten lost in the shuffle. And, as anyone who’s been following digital commerce over the past few months knows, it’s experience that is going to define the next era of ecommerce growth and also allow businesses to capitalize on the trillions in global ecommerce spending that’s expected by 2025. 

At Bloomreach, we believe that if the first 20 years of ecommerce have been about standing up the store — the onset of digital transformation — then the next 20 years are about standing out from the crowd. Businesses will now need to turn their focus toward differentiating in the face of increased digital competition and rising consumer expectations, building a commerce experience that makes shopping both seamless and enjoyable for customers.

And how exactly will they achieve that?

It all comes down to ecommerce personalization, which more than 65% of the marketing and ecommerce leaders surveyed by eTail Nordic noted as an important priority in solving their biggest ecommerce challenges. Importantly, it will be achieved through true personalization, which is powered by a unified view of customer and commerce data that allows businesses to understand both who their customers are and what it is they’re seeking. 

Companies are increasingly recognizing just how powerful that data is in driving experience. It’s the reason why 53% of respondents surveyed for this report cited “data, analytics, and CRM” as an area their organization was most likely to invest in over the next three years. That data will be what allows them to build the lasting customer relationships and brand loyalty that has become increasingly important in this digital age. 

Today, consumers are faced with endless choices when they go online. They’re looking to their favorite brands to make things simpler. They’re looking for digital experiences that put the joy back into online shopping. By tailoring each digital experience to each unique shopper, businesses can finally deliver that. Adopting data-driven solutions that drive personalized site search, content, offers, segmentation, and more will ultimately allow them to build the type of personalized commerce experience that makes a customer want to return again and again.

Ecommerce has seen substantial growth these past few years, and now that consumers have come online en masse, it's up to businesses to deliver an experience that will keep them there. The next era of ecommerce is one of sustainable growth, powered by personalization and fortified with the data that makes it possible. 

Digital transformation brought a great deal of excitement to the world of commerce. Now, it’s time for experience to take center stage. Your customers are waiting.