Our Ideas

Three factors drive successful customer experiences in retail:

• An exceptionally clear understanding of the specific needs and shopping missions of the most profitable target customers.
• A commitment to translating this insight into tailored product offerings and a highly effective in-store experience.
• An operating environment that harnesses both technology and human capital to maximize profitability.

These factors are identified by Accenture in a newly published paper, ‘Up Close and Personal: How Stores Can Drive Profitable Growth by Optimizing the Customer’s In-Store Experience.‘ Of particular note, Accenture finds that “top stores, indeed, manage to combine convenience with some form of engaging shopping experience. Customer service as good as this only happens when fully informed employees are empowered to deal with customers in a positive manner—talking to them, showing them respect and treating them, in effect, like guests.”

Octopus’s own research echoes Accenture’s findings: In our own Brand Leadership practice, we consistently find that success follows the integration of our clients’ core brand values and guiding principles into trainable, manageable, day-to-day operating processes. This translation of vision and mission into the Brand Experience customers enjoy is one of the most challenging, but also one of the most valuable opportunities in developing an authentic, value-driven and distinctive brand.