There are two broadly accepted truths in the retail universe today; digital influences nearly every sale, regardless of channel, and providing exceptional customer experiences is no longer optional. We live in an era where every positive experience a customer encounters raises the expectations for all interactions that follow. And those expectations include high availability, high personalization and fast, free delivery.
Retailers understand getting the customer experience right from first touch to fulfilling their order is critical to converting more sales and keeping customers coming back to their sites, but the complexities of omnichannel execution, rapidly changing expectations and understanding customer data is overwhelming many organizations. Fortunately, advancements in artificial intelligence can provide an answer to these challenges and many others.
IBM continues to be a pioneer in the field of AI and machine learning and has trained its Watson AI technology to identify high-propensity audiences, personalize content, sequence products, detect struggle and optimize fulfillment. And now, powerful AI capabilities are embedded into IBM’s cloud commerce platform. Experience AI and Watson Commerce firsthand by visiting us at Shoptalk 2018. In the meantime, please read on to learn more.
On the ropes, but not knocked out
A recent IBM customer experience study1 found that only three percent of over 500 brands across 25 countries could be considered ‘leading edge’ when it comes to customer buying experiences. Thirty-nine percent were categorized as ‘falling behind,’ which means instead of improving they are losing ground. That’s a sobering statistic given the tremendous amount of focus the term ‘customer experience’ has received in the industry over the past five years. Why is it so hard to get this right?
The reality is many retailers spend most of their time managing their digital commerce platform, keeping the lights on instead of innovating to deliver the omnichannel services and experiences shoppers want. E-commerce professionals are unable to respond quickly to customers, markets and competitive situations, as platform changes have to go through IT. And IT organizations are unable to support the business because making changes to their commerce platform is time consuming, expensive and risky; often requiring weeks or months of development and testing.
It’s time to fight back. Right now.
Through all of the digital disruption the retail industry continues to experience, one thing remains constant: retailers are a resilient bunch and are ready to fight and take back market share. The problem is they don’t have the tools they need, but IBM Watson Commerce has changed that.
IBM Watson Commerce powers more innovation, so retailers spend less time managing the commerce platform and can focus on what matters most, their customers and the customer experience. And only IBM has 20 years of unmatched omnichannel innovation, the scale, security and performance you expect, combined with the speed and flexibility of a SaaS commerce platform.
With Watson artificial intelligence embedded in the platform, retailer’s decision making will be enhanced through insights and recommendations, so they can respond to everything thrown at them with speed and precision. Brands can’t afford for AI to be a science project, and only IBM has trained its AI to identify high-propensity audiences, personalize content, sequence products, detect struggle, optimize fulfillment, and infused it into its SaaS commerce platform.
IBM gives control back to the retailer and levels the playing field in the fight for market share. Get back in the ring and fight back — IBM is in your corner. Register for the March 28th SaaS commerce webinar. Visit ibm.com/Watson/commerce to learn more.
1 “IBM 2017 Customer Experience Index (CEI) Study.” IBM 2017 Customer Experience Index (CEI) Study - United States. IBM Institute for Business Value, 07 Apr. 2017. Web. 04 May 2017
