When the pandemic rocked the global supply chain, sports brand New Balance used Contentsquare insights to understand customer expectations, prioritise transparency, and keep the digital experience in motion.
For brands like New Balance, an omni-channel brand with a digital value extending beyond eCommerce, pandemic-related manufacturing shutdowns have caused issues along the supply chain and put a temporary strain on the customer experience. As well as finding creative approaches to fulfillment, brands everywhere have had to prioritise customer concerns around availability and delivery, and address shortages and delays head-on as part of their CX strategy.
Jonathan Clark, international retail director of New Balance, who oversees online and offline retail and has a good eye into how digital experience complements the overall customer journey, has been leveraging customer experience insights to build digital trust. Clark said, “We made sure to maintain transparency with our customers by monitoring their alternative product selections, how much time they spent around the website, how much they were spending, and search volume changes, which all greatly helped us identify what our customers look for.”
The ability to understand how and why customers were interacting with content online is key to building customer-driven digital journeys. “We’re improving and streamlining the customer experience; that’s the heart and soul of our goals. It’s about understanding how consumers are interacting with us in a way that is visual, data led, and really immediate, and eliminating some frustrations,” Clark continued.
With Contentsquare, New Balance has been able to solve a key piece of the customer puzzle by accessing highly visual, actionable insights into purchase habits and customer priorities. Key insights include:
- Even though customer searches did not change during the pandemic, and people were still browsing for products that they liked, the brand needed to keep the demand strong – when they received a new supply of products, they had to pivot and substitute new products in for their existing customers.
- Transparency about shipping times was crucial. For example, rather than a customer initially seeing shipping information in their checkout basket, they would be alerted to it on the New Balance homepage.
- Prioritising digital trust among consumers led to an increase in customer happiness and a better overall digital customer experience.
Clark added, “There are plenty of businesses that just take your dollar without any transparency at the front. We looked to be completely transparent and make it clear what their experience would look like, making sure to support everyone during a tumultuous time. If we had established a price point for a consumer, we would not change that mid-season.”
“Simple things like understanding engagement with homepage tiles, the filters customers are using, and how to best document where customers are with their journey are incredibly useful. We’re delighted to have Contentsquare and we can see that there is significant value. We can’t wait to operationalise it and take it forward.”
As New Balance stays active throughout 2022 and beyond, transparency, visibility of approach, and honesty continue to be key to ensuring a rewarding and authentic CX and strong connection with customers.
Clark said, “Mitigating the vast scope of customer frustration and making sure you are staying true to your brand is key. We talk a lot about the fact that this is the essence of who we are. Customers are pretty switched on and they’ll see what you’re doing in time very clearly. This leads to a rewarding experience. And, word of mouth is important, as that’s how we build the brand.”
