At a session Monday at the NRF convention, McMillan Doolittle unveiled its "8 C's Model of Customer Experience." The principles include: Clarity, Convenience, Choice, Communication, Cast, Control, Consistency and Connection.
"This starts at the top by setting a few, clearly communicated priorities and creating an environment that employees want to work in and puts serving the customer first," said Anne Brouwer, senior partner.
Ms. Brouwer, along with Mara Devitt, a partner at the consultancy, then reviewed the eight principles and gave examples of retailers representing each one.
Clarity: The right positioning for what the retailer stands for. Ms. Brouwer cited Whole Foods' "well defined and communicated positioning," their "passionate" employees and "lazer-like focus" on their target customer. She said, "They've staked out a unique position and it's one that's hard to replicate, which helps to ensure lasting value."
Convenience: The right locations and channels. Ms. Brouwer cited Walgreen's, which seems "to be on every high traffic corner and always the location with the best access." The drug store chain is also available online, has some 24-hour locations, and more recently added drive-through access to some doors.
Choice: Having the right selections for their target customer. Anthropologie and Crate & Barrel were mentioned as examples. Said Ms. Brouwer, "It's romancing products with powerful and emotional story telling."
Communication: Leveraging all touchpoints to engage the consumer with a particular emphasis on store design and layout across channels. Ms. Brouwer cited Williams Sonoma's "exquisitely choreographed presentations and rigorously edited assortments." She added, "It's great signage at multiple levels and seamlessly integrating those messages with unique and impactful store design."
Cast: Having the "right" employees through smart hiring, training and standards. Said Ms. Devitt, "The Container Store has done a great job of delivering a stellar cast. They hire and develop brands zealots who live the brand, the lifestyle and who love the product."
Controls: Having a flexible, custom-oriented selling and service process. Ms. Devitt noted that at Chipotle, a customer can have their meal made to order in the store and see it being made. But they can also customize the order online, pay online and pick it up at the store while avoiding the checkout line.
Consistency: Delivering the same experience and message across time, locations, channels and media. Said Mr. Devitt, "J. Crew is our example here. This requires exceptional precision and coordination across the various functions within a retail organization to make sure all the customer experience elements come together across all touchpoints day in and day out."
Connection: Involves extending the experience beyond the retail transaction to develop a lasting relationship with the customer. Said Ms. Devitt, "Sephora does a great job here. They use mobile apps, e-mails and social networks to keep a dialogue going and to stay top of mind with their customers as their beauty-go-to advisor."