Shopper Experience: Olvida la experiencia del cliente, Boris Johnson se encargará de eso
Author: Andrew Busby
Source: forbes.com
Hard though it is to imagine these days, but mankind wasn’t born to operate an iPhone. Or order an Uber. Or a takeaway at just the touch of a few icons. No, we were born hunter gatherers, and the only takeaway we would bring home still had its horns intact and wasn’t in a particularly good mood.
You see, back in the days when we had to light a fire to keep our caves lit, life was a little simpler. No irritating customer satisfaction surveys to litter our inbox. «How did you find catching armadillo today? Was it a) a walk in the tundra, b) a walk on the wild side, or c) a walk too far.
Neither did we have to worry ourselves too much with the nuances of the experience itself. «Welcome home dear, how was your day? Did you have a wonderful customer experience chasing wildebeest? Don’t worry, you’ll get to bop one over the head next time.»
No, in those days, the supply chain was a little more straightforward and we really didn’t bother with quite how we did our «shopping.»
Fast forward to 2007 and Steve Jobs put paid to all that. Because when he got up on stage at Macworld in January of that year, he launched onto an unsuspecting world, what was the equivalent of our ancestors’ lump of wood, something with which to beat over the head any passing antelope. Except that this lump of wood held magic powers, powers we previously could only have dreamed of possessing.
Because in the smartphone we suddenly had a voice, and we soon discovered that we could exert power and influence over our prey. And overnight, customer experience was born.
Today, an entire customer experience industry has evolved. Bringing with it new terms such as the wonderfully awful «experiential» retail. Nowadays it seems that the experience is more important than the quality of the product or the price for that matter.
Personally, I don’t source my smartphones from Silicon Valley, but for those who do, it’s more like a religion and if you’ve ever visited one of their temples, you’ll see why Apple followers are so loyal. They go not just for the product but for the whole experience.
Everywhere we turn, we are asked for our feedback on our experience. It pervades virtually every interaction we have, whether it be flying, booking a holiday or using the bathroom. But that’s all about to change because Boris Johnson will become prime minister and customer experience will suddenly be the last thing on our minds.
Because in a post-Brexit no-deal Britain, we’ll find ourselves resorting to our ancestors’ ways of catching dinner. And all of a sudden we will collectively find ourselves at the very bottom of Maslow. And at the same time, the whole concept of customer experience will become but a distant memory.
«How was your experience of trying to find a pint of milk?» «Well, actually I’m just glad I found one come to think of it.»
According to Government figures, in 2017, U.K. exports to the EU were £274 billion (44% of all U.K. exports). U.K. imports from the EU were £341 billion (53% of all U.K. imports). And what’s more, almost 30% of our food comes from the EU.
In a no-deal Brexit, those irritating trade agreements will be thrown into something resembling a teenagers rave party. Which is unfortunate, as it’s really rather going to mess things up. Just think, the French will suddenly control the consumption of your favorite Roquefort. And in that scenario, you really won’t care about how nicely it’s presented or the length of the queue at the checkout.