Customer Journey: Die Eckpfeiler einer detaillierten Kundenanalyse
17. September 2019Fashion Marketing & Predictive Analytics
25. November 2019At yesterday’s workshop on “Customer Journey: The cornerstones of a detailed customer analysis” we welcomed Akanoo managing director and digital marketing expert Benjamin Ferreau. 17 participants gathered on our premises and listened with interest to Benjamin’s presentation. From the beginnings of the Customer Journey (medieval marketplaces, retail stores, catalogues) to intelligent, data-driven customer communication. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter where the customer is and where the conversion takes place.
From electronic-Commerce to everywhere-Commerce.
The Customer Journey is subject to an evolution of customer relations and customer approach. On the basis of customer behavior, the optimal approach is chosen to create an online experience. Different Omni-Channel concepts can be pursued (Hint: Only betting on vouchers is not so cool). Rather, the customer experience must also be extended by non-monetary campaigns.
The Customer Journey becomes the Customer Interest Journey.
The use of artificial intelligence in modern customer journeys is of decisive importance. Only with the help of data can the needs of so-called unknown customers be understood and satisfied. Previously, AI was able to analyze customer behavior and derive forecasts and target customers from it, but always on the basis of historical data. But AI and Omni-Channel have reached a new level of evolution. Now the AI can determine customer behavior in real time and continuously optimize it. This avoids rigid categorization and focuses on the individual customer.
Everywhere-Commerce simply does not take place yet.
Real Omni-Channel plays an essential role to extend the experience. Unfortunately, real Omni-Channel does not take place in Germany at all. It is still thought too much in individual silos with isolated KPI’s, instead of an all-embracing experience to create an Everywhere-Commerce.
We have picked out these 3 Key Learnings for you:
The focus goes from classic eCommerce to channel-independent everywhere-Commerce. Retailers must also make organizational changes in order to better dovetail individual channels and be accessible to customers at all levels.
In addition to macro transactions (conversions), micro transactions (impressions, referrals, baskets, etc.) should also be intensively monitored and optimized. This may help to find new ways to communicate better with customers and to motivate them to convert.
3. in order not to educate customers as discount hunters and thus become price dependent, mainly non-monetary measures should be developed in order to improve the customer experience.
Interview with Benjamin Ferreau
Benjamin Ferreau talks about the Customer Journey
Interview with Benjamin Ferreau
What brought you north as a Swabian?
After studying industrial engineering, I came to the north for the job. I worked there for the EversFrank-Media Group, Germany’s second largest print and media group. There I mainly dealt with corporate development, digitization, mergers and acquisitions. Since 2017 I have been Managing Director of Akanoo, a digital technology agency.
What exactly are you doing at Akanoo? What does your daily work look like?
I am the managing director and responsible for strategy, finance, investor search, stake and shareholder management as well as sales and marketing at Akanoo. As managing director, I don’t really have a real everyday working life. I always start relatively early, between 7.00 and 7.30 and try to start with administrative topics. During the day I am usually on the road. In the evening I try to keep my rhythm again and to complete administrative tasks again. But there is no real everyday life.
You call yourself a “customer journey optimizer.” What exactly do you mean by that?
Actually, this means the message of Akanoo: We try to support the customer on his way to the conclusion with different anchor points.
What motivated you to work in this field?
Above all the technology, the AI. But also e-commerce and the start-up environment. But the technology was already the decisive point.
What challenges do you see in the fashion industry with the topic “Customer Journey”?
The biggest challenge is actually competition: new brands are cannibalizing the old-established brands. It’s getting harder and harder to survive. Another challenge is clearly the company’s own structure. A major rethink still has to take place here.
How and where do you find out about the industry?
A lot of things happen to me via the network. I am well networked and regularly exchange information about the industry here. But I also read specific platforms, blogs and studies in between.
Where do you think the e-commerce business is going?
I think the marketplace idea will have an enormous impact. For big manufacturers it doesn’t really matter on which platform they sell, but the trade has to represent a certain mass and it gets more and more difficult.
Sandra and Benjamin in conversation
Interviews with workshop participants
Interview with Falko from Zwanzigzehn GmbH
What’s your position at Zwanzigzehn?
I am managing director of Zwanzigzehn GmbH and head of the online shop of myclassico.com.
What do you do in your working life? What exactly does your position involve?
With my agency, I help with the technical and strategic development of online shops and provide advice. We also have SEA measures in our portfolio.
Why are you here? What motivated you to come to this workshop?
I’m hoping for new ways of thinking and perspectives around Customer Journey. Even our customers have not arrived at Everywhere-Commerce and it often helps to recall the individual steps. In this way, we can make the image of Omni-Channel and Everywhere-Commerce clear to the customer, because there is often still a lot of power of persuasion required.
What did you find particularly interesting about the workshop?
The deep insight into the technology as well as the overviews and charts. They always bring you back to the bottom of the facts and clarify what you actually do.
What would you like to know more about?
I’d also like to know where Germany is in the industry mix. What is the general way of thinking about Customer Experience and Omni-Channel? Are other industries already further along?
The participants of the workshop are listening eagerly
Interview with Philip and Niklas from OTTO Group
What are your positions at the OTTO Group?
We are Project Managers Customer & User Experience and Process Optimisers.
What do you do in your working life? What exactly do your positions contain?
We have grown historically as a classic service provider and even now we are active within the OTTO Group in an advisory, executive and analytical capacity. Our methodological skills are in demand and we then work as project managers, so to speak. We look at the different contact points of the customer journey, such as the packaging.
Why are you here? What motivated you to come to this workshop?
Basically it is an exciting topic for us and we hope for fresh impulses. It is interesting to look at the topic from a start-up environment. We only ever see it from a corporate perspective. The Customer Journey and the Customer Journey Mapping are essential for our job, but it doesn’t always attract attention. It is still thought too much in silos.
Was the workshop interesting for you and if so, what exactly?
Yes, both the content and the framework in which this workshop will take place is very interesting. On the one hand, we have received new food for thought and new impulses, on the other hand, however, one also finds confirmation in his daily work. Many charts have recently been seen at university. So it’s good to bring this knowledge back to mind. Also the foresighted point of view is interesting, so keyword Everywhere-Commerce. At the OTTO Group, Connected Commerce is also a major issue at the moment. So we take a very similar view. It was also interesting to realize that the voucher is actually dead and that one has to think about new approaches.
What would you like to know more about?
Of course further information about Customer Journey or Customer Experience would be interesting. But also measures for personalization, which have a lot to do with the customer journey, if not even determine it.
Interview with Tobias from Fixson Media GmbH
Kundenansprache und Kanalintegration
What’s your position at Fixson Media?
I am a managing director.
What do you do in your working life? What exactly does your position involve?
Fixson Media is an online media agency. We help bring portals, websites and shops to market.
Why are you here? What motivated you to come to this workshop?
On the one hand because Sebastian is an old friend of mine and he invited me, but on the other hand because the topic is interesting for our agency.
What did you find particularly interesting about the workshop?
We also notice again and again that many companies are not ready, although the technology is there. There is a lack of openness and structure within the companies. This was confirmed again in this workshop. In addition, it was a good mixture of bold, i.e. concrete application examples and definitions. I found slide no. 29 [note: see illustration on the right] particularly interesting: It simply makes it clear that you can’t leave out any evolutionary step and only if you have the data can you get the customer to everywhere-commerce.
What would you like to know more about?
I am actually interested in everything that has to do with corporate development.
Note: The interviews were recorded in the protocol.