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2019 Report: Customer Pain Points
Shiseida Sade Kelly Aponte
Laboratory Institute of Merchandising
Author’s Note
This report has been created by the independent empirical analysis of the student,
Shiseida Sade Kelly Aponte. In no way shall there be reproduction of any part of
this academic work without proper citation or explicitly expressed permission from
Shiseida Sade Kelly Aponte. If there are any questions, comments, suggestions, or
concerns, please contact Shiseida Sade Kelly Aponte.
Customer Pain Points
Understanding customer provides essential data for successful business. Customer
pain points involve the needs of the consumer, as regards circumstances, barriers,
or problems they may be experiencing, that influence buyer behavior. Customers seek
business services or business products to remediate these circumstances, barriers,
or problems. As such, customer pain points are diversified among the target
audience; business success depends on the potential of a business meeting these
customer needs. It is the strategic prospect of businesses to successfully identify
these pain points and provide the right service or product, at the right price, at
the right time, in the right space, in the right quantities, in the right condition
to the customer for remediation of their pain points and the, ultimate, success of
the business establishment. However, identification and remediation of customer
pain points are not solely based upon insight into needs and issues. In fact, the
medium through which the business presents their remediation to the marketplace is
also a relevant factor. Although various mediums have the potential to enhance the
customer service experience, the sales medium also imposes a host of challenges
with which the merchandiser must confer. Offline shopping (i.e. brick-and-mortar
stores), on-line shopping (i.e. e-commerce), and mobile shopping are three mediums;
each, with their own set of customer pain points. Understanding customer pain
points, within these three sales mediums, have the potential to optimize business
success by enabling a merchant to accurately position the business in consideration
of the identified pain points.
Physical Shopping
The brick-and-mortar retail establishment has been the very bedrock of the retail
industry and the global trade economy. Market longevity has enabled conventional
retailers to develop an operational formula for business operations and marketplace
success. However, this retail formula, confined to the physical store location and
in-store experience, has a host of customer pain points easily avoided with on-line
retail, thus threatening the future off offline shopping. The customer pain points
of offline shopping are as follows:
[01] Long wait times;
[02] Long check-out lines, tedious process;
[03] Poor-quality customer service (I.e. uninformed employees);
[04] Privacy concerns with big data technology;
[05] Requires tolerance with in-store experience;
[06] Stock, inventory, and product assortment issues;
[07] Un-favored brand loyalty;
[08] Unfavorable old-fashioned dressing/fitting room experience;
[09] Unimpressive in-store experience; and,
[10] Wireless network not always accessible in-store.
Virtual Shopping
Digital retail is quickly evolving into an effortless interaction between business
and consumer. As merchants adopt the technological perspective of the marketplace,
and incorporate digital platforms, consumers also find their unconventional niche
in electronic retailing; thereby, leaving brick-and-mortar commerce as the less
convenient option, while technologically driven retail soars as preference among
market segments. However convenient, on-line retail does imbue the consuming body
with their fair share of customer pain points. The customer paint points of on-line
retail are as follows:
[01] Aversive to technophobic culture/vulgar and unappealing to some;
[02] Inconsistent brand experience;
[03] Insufficient product information;
[04] Lengthy "load" times;
[05] Limited power of choice;
[06] Offering too many payment options;
[07] Onerous checkout process;
[08] Requires computer literacy;
[09] Some websites exclude needed shipping information post-purchase; and,
[10] Some websites require registration to purchase.
Mobile Shopping
When customers embark on the digital retail experience through mobile applications,
they are, most typically, seeking a reputable miniature version of their desktop
counterpart. However, there has been difficulty in creating a seamless retail
experience across mediums. As the consumer advances from larger digital platforms,
such as a desktop or a tablet, to smaller electronic alternatives, such as the
mobile device, this transition has enumerated a number of customer pain points
extending beyond those accompanying the primary digital platform. The customer pain
points attending the mobile retail experience are as follows:
[01] Being redirected for an onerous checkout process;
[02] Inconsistent brand experience;
[03] Inconsistent product availability;
[04] Lengthy "load" times;
[05] Limited/Insufficient product description;
[06] Limited power of choice;
[07] Offering too many payment options;
[08] Security concerns with data;
[09] Text and images are difficult to discern; and,
[10] Touch navigation issues creating need for zoom to avoid inaccurate clicking
action.
Conclusion
Expanding beyond the brick-and-mortar retail establishment into the world of
digital retail is not to be achieved without great difficulty. Ensuring the right
products and services at the right time, at the right price, in the right
condition, in the right quantities, in the right location can seem like a daunting
task, especially when the customer needs to be truly considered. Although
conventional retailing is not a regressive form of commerce that inhibits evolving
beyond the physical checkout counter, the inability to properly attend to recurring
issues, such as customer pain points, has added further detriment to the retail
experience, both in-store and on-line. So, as the technologically-involved shopper
is reshaping the very canvas of retail, the brick-and-mortar establishments only
lag behind because of the inability to viciously address common pain points with as
much vigor and passionate impetus as their profitable expansion into the digital
platform. The expansion into on-line commerce requires an expanded understanding of
the newly evolved retail customer; however, without properly attending to the ails
associated with conventional commerce, the potential of both platforms is sure to
impede optimal growth and productivity. The digital platform connects merchants and
clients in an onslaught of new ways; however, these innovative technologies also
render an onslaught of new consumer behaviors and sentiments that are clearly
distinguished from the brick-and-mortar experience. As such, while the retail
market evolves with businesses reaching for greater success, by seeking to develop
and connect multiple channels through a seamless omni-channel experience, it might
be wise for merchants to consider attending to customer pain points consistently,
across each platform, providing disclaimers where necessary, in order to ensure
brand representation is accurately rendered in conjunction with the customer
service experience.
References
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transforming the industry and how to win in a new consumer driven world. John Wiley
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Rigby, D. K. (2011). The Future of Shopping. Harvard Business Review.
https://hbr.org/2011/12/the-future-of-shopping
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