Why Retail Is A Work Of Complete Friction
In this opinion piece, Steve Stoner (pictured below), founder and CEO of retail brand transformation agency Whippet, argues why retailers shouldn’t be striving for a totally frictionless shopping experience for customers.
The expression ‘frictionless shopping’ has been increasingly tripping off retailer tongues for the past few years. We are constantly being encouraged to deliver a more seamless experience for customers so they can be on their way to the next soy latte with barely a blink, but is a totally frictionless retail experience actually desirable for either customers or retailers?
If you break down a customer retail experience into three phases, things start to become clearer.
Phase 1: shopping
The word ‘shopping’ is often used to describe the entire customer process, but really, it’s only the part where customers are weighing up their options and making choices. It spans from the moment a customer recognises a need and that the need can be solved with a purchase. Depending on the product, this decision-making phase could last seconds, hours, days or months. For instance, I’ll decide in seconds, right there in the supermarket, that a steak can solve my need for a quick weekday dinner, while I may ponder for weeks over which new phone to spend a thousand dollars on.
Phase 2: buying
This is when the customer has made the decision, chosen the product and needs to make the financial transaction in order to own it. It’s the point of sale. The customer may pay with card, cash or even a bank transfer, but during this process the customer mindset has changed completely, from a consideration and decision-making mode into a functional, ‘getting the job done’ mode.
Phase 3: fulfilment
Basically, this is ‘how I get my stuff home’. Often overlooked, this is a crucial phase in a customer’s experience, especially in terms of overall retail brand experience. Whether the item is simply popped into a shopping bag or delivered directly, this is the last touch point of the customer’s journey, and because of this, it can be the most memorable. The wonderful, warm feeling of buying a new piece of furniture can easily be let down by a 16-week wait for it to be dumped on the doorstep by a surly delivery man.
As a customer, I want to be able to choose exactly how I want each of these phases to play out. I might want to shop and purchase in store but have my purchase delivered to my home, or I may want to shop online and pay and collect in store. Today, customers are demanding these options from every retailer and retailers are having to upscale their service offerings accordingly. If there’s only one way on offer from the retailer, it could be a ‘no way’ from the customer.
But what about the friction? In the buying and fulfilment phases of this process, less friction is highly desirable for the customer. They have made their decision and just want to get on with it, with as little hassle as possible. It is the retailer’s responsibility to make sure that payment systems are slick and delivery options are quick. But in the shopping phase, friction can be a positive influence, for customers and especially for retailers. Visual merchandising, point-of-sale marketing and store layouts are all designed to disrupt a customer’s journey and influence their decisions, to create friction, to slow them down.
There’s a good reason supermarkets often stock milk – a frequently purchased commodity item – at the back of the store instead of the front where it could be a ‘grab and go’ item. It’s the same reason IKEA has a long, looping, one-way runway that ensures you take in the entire IKEA collection as a series of room sets. This kind of friction creates the opportunity to influence consideration and expose more product to customers.
And let’s not forget that customers might also want a little friction in their retail experience – I know I do. I want to be surprised, to try new things, to go off the beaten track of habit purchases, just not always. And this is where retailers have to carefully walk the line. Too much friction at the wrong time, where it is significantly felt, can become an irritant to the customer and negatively influence their feelings towards the retailer brand. “Slow me down a little and show me something new” is just fine. “Slow me down a lot with no payoff” is not.
It is difficult to argue that the functional processes of buying and fulfilment shouldn’t be as friction-free for customers as possible. But rather than striving for a totally frictionless shopping experience, shouldn’t we be adding the right amount of friction, in the right places, to deliver a totally amazing shopping experience?
Please login with linkedin to comment
frictionless shopping Retail retailers Shopping Steve Stoner WhippetLatest News
Sydney Comedy Festival: Taking The City & Social Media By Storm
Sydney Comedy Festival 2024 is live and ready to rumble, showing the best of international and homegrown talent at a host of venues around town. As usual, it’s hot on the heels of its big sister, the giant that is the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, picking up some acts as they continue on their own […]
Global Marketers Descend For AANA’s RESET For Growth
The Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) has announced the final epic lineup of local and global marketing powerhouses for RESET for Growth 2024. Lead image: Josh Faulks, chief executive officer, AANA Back in 2000, a woman with no business experience opened her first juice bar in Adelaide. The idea was brilliantly simple: make healthy […]
Is Meta’s New AI Chatbot Too Left-Wing?
Meta's chatbot accused of being left-wing after being caught wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt & listening to Billy Bragg.
TV Ratings (23/04/2024): Why Did No One Tell Angela That Farmer Wants A Wife Is Set On A Farm?
As wonderful as this headline is, let's face it, we all know an 'Angela', don't we?
PubMatic Unveils New AI Partnership To Turn Social Posts Into Ads For Any Digital Channel
Here's some nifty tech for turning social posts into ads. Assuming said posts aren't one-star character assassinations.
Intuit Mailchimp Makes A Splash With Its First Australian Brand Campaign
Ever laugh along at a gag you didn't get so as not to appear dumb? Get ready for more feigning with this new work.
GumGum’s Rob Hall: Advertisers Can No Longer “Rely On Binary Descriptions” Of Consumers
If anyone's got their finger on adtech's pulse, it's Rob Hall. He also avoids using the good paper in the office printer
Mastercard Nabs Florencia Aimo From Marriott International
Marriott International's Florencia Aimo jumps from the hotel business to the exploitative credit card one.
Bastion Agency Appoints Cheuk Chiang As New ANZ CEO
Cheuk Chiang takes the reins over at Bastion Agency. But not the rains down in Africa.
Spotlight On Sponsors: Major Sponsorship Wins After A Disappointing Week In Sport
B&T continuing our deep dive into local sport sponsorships & that's despite not a single offer of a free ticket as yet.
Macca’s Marketing Director, Samantha McLeod On Big Mac Chant: “What Was Once Old Is Now Cool Again”
Macca's using the power of nostalgia in latest Big Mac campaign. Well, only for those who've ever eaten one sober.
World Premiere Of Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line To Open Sydney Film Festival 2024
Oil's biopic to open Sydney Film Festival. Here's hoping Molly Meldrum will take his pants down at the premiere.
Entries Are Now Open For The 2024 Brandies, IntelligenceBank’s Annual Brand Marketing Awards
The Brandies are, of course, a prestigious marketing gong and not the mystery tipple favoured by nannas everywhere.
The Fred Hollows Foundation Appoints Ardent For PR
Yes, we all like to have a joke at PR's expense. But sometimes it does important work, like this.
AI, eCommerce & Marketing Specialists Are In Increased Demand By Businesses, New Data From Fiverr Shows
Has your philosophy & anthropology degree left you with nothing but a huge HECS debt? Here's what you should've studied.
Perth’s First 3D Anamorphic Billboard Arrives Courtesy Of oOh!media
Do you love a buzzword? Now you can add anamorphic to the list as it relates to billboards, not a colleague's ears.
MasterChef Australia & Crown Resorts Launch Unique Dining Experience With ALUMNI
A pop-up restaurant staffed by MasterChef contestants! That's fine dining prices for first-year apprentice chef cuisine!
Amanda Laing Announces Resignation From Foxtel Group
Foxtel's chief commercial & content officer heads for the exits. Read nice things the bosses said about her right here.
The Lost Letters From Our Diggers: News Corp Unveils ANZAC Day Special
It's nice when brands respectfully acknowledge ANZAC Day.
Howatson+Company Acquires Akkomplice
Large indie acquires a slightly smaller indie. Much like a shark eating a tuna, just with less thrashing and blood.
Google Delays Third-Party Cookie Deprecation Again
In good news for the sale of picture library biscuit photos, Google continues to tease over the end of cookies.
Education A Low Priority For Aussies More Concerned With Cost Of Living Forethought Study Reveals
Study finds Aussies cutting back on education due to cost of living. Booze & Uber Eats sales remain largely unaffected.
“I’m Still The Same Person That I Was”: Rikki Stern Says “Fucc It” To Cancer Stereotypes
B&T always happy to promote the anti-cancer cause. Even brands that massively overdo it with the hot pink.
The Unapproved Climate Certification Allegedly Causing Mass Greenwashing
Are you left flummoxed in the canned tuna & free range eggs aisle? Just wait till this green certification gets up.
TV Ratings (22/04/2024): Fans Mock “Over The Top” Reaction To New MasterChef Judges
MasterChef returns for its 2024 season. B&T stands by putting peppercorns in Gravox & no one will be any the wiser.
Dentsu Restructure: Muddle, Harvey & Johnston Take Leadership Baton As Bass & Yurisich Exit
A large broom has swept through Dentsu's local ops this morning, taking with it some big names & the air con's cobwebs.
Industry Shares Trends Shaping The Industry This International Creators Day
B&T's asking adland creators to reveal their top trends. And it's not good news for your Jenny Kee cardigan collection.
Mable Extends HOYTS Sensory Screenings Partnership
Mable has extended its HOYTS sensory screening partnership. Vigorously defends its two-star Oppenheimer review.
Orphan Launches ‘They Need Our Help. We Need Yours’ For Children’s Cancer Institute
Anything to do with childhood cancers has B&T's 110% support. That said, we do ignore the red meat & alcohol warnings.
Smile Team Orthodontics & Keep Left Collaborate On Smile-Inducing Campaign
As parents would attest, given the cost of orthodontics you'd expect this campaign to be a lavish production indeed.
Opinion: How Video Calls Neglect Learning Diversity
Need an excuse to duck out of a video call this arvo? Show this to your boss.
DoubleVerify Achieves First-Of-Its-Kind Responsible AI Certification From TrustArc
DoubleVerify receives responsible AI certification. However, not its robotic vacuum that's been seen menacing the cat.
Smile For A Good Cause: The Social Media Campaign Giving Back To The Community
Are you known as the office Austin Powers? More for you teeth than shagability? Get snappy new fangs with this news.
Elon Musk Mocks Albo After ESafety Wins Court Injunction Against X
Albo's 2024 from hell continues - Rabbitohs in crisis, down in the polls and now feuding with world's richest man.
Real Estate Developer In Hot Water Over “Sexually Exploitative” OOH Campaign
Real estate agents again tops in the 'least trusted profession' polls, nudging used car salesmen & ad creatives.
Epsilon’s Shane Hanby: Post-Cookie Era Relies On “Teamwork” Between Brands, Marketers & Tech
This pro predicts more "teamwork" in a post-cookie era. Which spells bad news for the uncooperative or plain stubborn.