How to create a meaningful omnichannel experience

Being 'omnichannel' – providing a seamless experience for customers regardless of channel or device – is high up on the agenda for most organisations. Although many invest heavily in their omnichannel presence, for some, it comes at a cost to their customer experience as a whole. These days, having a seamless operational presence across channels is not enough to remain relevant; organisations need to create a meaningful experience across all interactions with their brand.

I'd like to share a personal experience which demonstrates how important it is to get right. John Lewis is one of the most trusted and loved brands in the UK. It's a cultural institution. Being owned by their staff, you sense an authentic personal touch in-store. I experienced their extraordinary customer service when setting up my wedding gift registry earlier this year. Upon arrival in store, we were introduced to an expert consultant, who gave us a glass of bubbly and all the inspiration we needed to start a new life together. For me, this was aspirational and not just functional customer service.

Based on this one interaction alone, you sense they clearly understand their customers and spent years perfecting their in-store experience. In sharp contrast, if you look at their website, you may as well be on Amazon. You get no sense of where you are shopping. In person, they were fantastic. But when technology was introduced to the equation, everything came crashing down. There are three main areas along the journey that stuck with me during my experience:

1. In-Store Scanning The experience of selecting products seems very outdated. The scanning machines were old feature phones lacked reception and therefore didn’t work in certain parts of the store. And if you accidently logged out, you had to go to the very top of the store (that could be about five floors if you're in the Oxford Street flagship) to return to customer service to log you back in.

What if: They partner with a supplier and showcase their new tech products to use as part of the experience of viewing and selecting products.

2. Online UX The website UI for Johnlewis.com and Johnlewisgiftlist.com are purely transactional and loses all the magic you get from the in-store experience. Firstly, why is their gift list site completely separate from Johnlewis.com?  Secondly, the site is extremely basic and lacks functionality – we had to resort to searching for products on the main website then copying the product code to search on the other site. After you search for and select all the products you are interested in, you are left with an uninspiring inventory-type list to scroll down.

What if: They partner with Pinterest and create an inspirational way of searching for and selecting products online? Needless to say, integrating their online offers would be a good start. 

3. Online Customisation For something so personal, it was a real surprise the gift list site offered no functionality for personalisation. Weddings are all about creating memorable experiences (and being able to charge a premium for it), so there is a real opportunity to create a UI mimicking their intimate in-store service. It should provide a personal and rewarding experience for both the couple and the guests purchasing gifts.

What if: They create a customisable platform that can plug in to other websites and be shared with guests?

There are some simple things John Lewis can do to be truly omnichannel – but they have a big task ahead if they want to translate the success of their offline experience online. This is increasingly important as new entrants enter the market –providing unique products (#notonthehighstreet) and better experiences built for the current world of technology (Prezola) – thereby increasing pressure to maintain its’ position in the market.

This isn't an issue only John Lewis faces. Many industries such as telco’s and banks are currently trying to make their ‘tried and tested’ offline offer just as relevant and meaningful online. Giants like Google are even attempting to do the opposite, taking an online brand into the physical world (Google Fiber and Google Express). To do this successfully, they need to consider the cohesive customer experience in context and not separate them into channeled silos.

Hopefully now that the panic of becoming an omnichannel organisation has settled, the focus can return to creating a meaningful experience for customers.

Illustration by Nejc Prah.

Jessica Bigio is Senior Programme Manager at Wolff Olins London.