Instruction Part : Produce an article review based on the E-Commerce article given.

With commerce increasingly shifting to the online world, consumers customer service expectations have inevitably expended here, leading e-commerce consultant Ross Bark explains what you need to know to bridge the online customer expectation gap.

It seems on all the retailer are facing an online upheaval at the moment. Unhappy customer experiences in-store and insufficient high-priced Australian online options have led to Australian increasingly discovering, sourcing, and purchasing, products online from overseas retailers. Increased competition has led to consumers expecting a higher level of Service and demanding a superior shopping experience. Customers also want to be able to make informed purchases instantly meaning retailers need to be as accessible and transparent as possible, particularly with their online offering Consumer reviews have also become a key figure in the path to purchase process of other customers, influencing their decisions by sharing their own experiences with a product or service instinctively and impulsively. At the heart of this is a significant gap between a retailer's perception of what customers want and what customers actually want and expect from online retailers.

At the recent Hybris Global Summit in Munich I spoke to a number of overseas e- commerce experts who shared a similar view - that being that inconsistent online experiences are providing considerable purchase barriers to customers. What this means is customer expectations are not being met by many local online retailers, and this is a driving force behind Australians shopping online with overseas retailers rather than buying from Australian based companies. However, it is possible to bridge this gap. For example, internet start-up and shoe retailer Zappos, which has no physical store to allow customers to hold products, has been able to compete with the many established shoe stores that have been around for decades. The reason for Zappos' success is not the obvious discounted price strategy that so many online stores promote. but rather something that is key to shopping on or offline - superior customer service! With the boom in online retail set to become even furthermore prevalent moving forward, here are five key tips that can help retailers to optimise and improve the consistency of their customers' experience and eliminate those problematic purchase barriers.

1. Your digital experiences need to be ubiquitous: A consumer's discovery can be made offline or online, leading them to purchase the product in-store online (e-commerce) or on a mobile device (m-commerce). It really should not - and does not matter how the decision to buy is reached, as long as the consumer is provided with a choice to do both or either at any time. An e-commerce website is not simply an extension of a retailer's bricks and mortar store, nor can it be. The customer experience should complement all channels, bringing together a decision-making process which encompasses researching searching and buying. The biggest problem with most e-commerce sites, and in particular those in Australia, is that many offer a disjointed customer experience. To provide customers with a superior online experience and build loyalty and repeat purchases, retailers need to be consistent and cohesive with messaging across different platforms and channels. Lorna Jane, for example, has a consistent philosophy of Move Nourish Believe', which is evident in their customer experience both online and in- store. It is right on brand and provides a consistent message to customers. On their

website they provide engaging product categories like 'Fit Fashion Edits' and 'What to Wear', which match the philosophy and marketing of the brand in every channel, combined with clear and extensive customer service options offered and promoted consistently both in store and online.

1. End-to-end integration: Channel integration provides a seamless customer experience across all channels and customer interaction points. A cross channel approach is the only way to provide customers with the type of service they now expect. Retailers must set up end-to-end business processes through efficient and tied front and back systems. This also provides the retailer with better information in which to target customers with promotions and offers and also gives the customer access to timely information on their purchases and any loyalty programs the retailer provides. Nordstrom in the US has made omni channel integration a key priority, which includes an integrated inventory platform across all channels. It has found that its multi-channel customers spend three to four times as much as single channel shoppers Nordstrom provides the Buy Online - Pick Up In Store feature, which allows customers to shop from home and pick up purchased items in Nordstrom stores. They have invested heavily in building an integrated and consistent merchandise offering from this they are able to provide increased inventory accessibility for customers across channels and allow smaller stores to benefit by offering all available products to all customers and a share in online revenue.
2. Compelling content: Providing richer product information online is a must, as customers expect to have access to this information and if you're a traditional retailer, you must use your stores as marketing and education tools to drive overall product demand and traffic to the online store. For example, Apple has transformed from a product brand to an omni-channel retailer that sells its products directly to customers in-store online and via mobile. Another great example is Best Buy, which provides cross channel interactions to allow customers to shop, browse and gain information via the avenue that is most convenient to them.
3. Give them more control and choice: Customers want to be provided with information on what to buy and how to buy it. You can help them by providing content and tools to help them in the discovery process (research, tips, how to guides), but most importantly - make it fun! Remember, customers want anywhere access to content products and services from any device wherever they are. Improving your sites search and browse capabilities or improving the payment process by offering more payment options can make a significant difference in the level of customer satisfaction achieved. Providing the customer with essential information is imperative and needs to be a retailer's priority. Zappos takes customer service to new levels offering a 365-day returns policy and free shipping both ways. On an average day. roughly 70 per cent are returning customers and Zappos applies a shipping model that provides for next business day delivery in the US. Zappos also provides a live help service that acts as an instant messenger to their 24/7 on-call support team.
4. Personalise the experience as much as possible: This must be consistent across every channel - a customer wants as much of their experience tailored to their needs. behaviours and preferences as possible. The more sharing options you can offer your customers the better. They want to share their opinions, their knowledge and their ideas to their friends, their family and their networks. For example, Tesco has made

multichannel integration a key priority and therefore can offer customers a consistent merchandise offering with increased inventory accessibility for customers across all its Supermarket channels. It allows customers to shop from home and pick up in-store at their convenience, or vice versa. It has also announced plans to build a national network across the UK of online-only stores to cater for the surge in popularity of internet grocery shopping. When considering how to reduce your customers' expectation gap, the important questions you should be asking yourself are:

• -Do you have a clear understanding of what your customers want?
• -And, most importantly, what journey do you want to take your customers on?