Introduction
Customer experience management (CEM) is an important strategy that focuses on consumer perspective as it seeks to meet consumers’ wants more efficiently (Arineli & Meirelles, 2015). The primary objective of CEM is to enhance customer loyalty and restore constant interaction between clients and the firm products. The Fashion industry is diverse and has been characterized by increased competition over the recent past. This study appreciates strategies used by service firms in the fashion industry to develop customer experience management. The paper focuses on Alibaba, which is an e-commerce business with different platforms used by companies to support online shopping.
Main Body
Customer experience (as viewed by different scholars) is consumer's perception of a firm's brand from previous interactions with a given product in the market. Therefore, to remain competitive in the fashion industry, companies are embracing practices that offer their esteemed consumers the best experience. Such practices enhance consumer satisfaction as well as their loyalty towards business products (Lemon & Verhoef, 2016). Many companies have appreciated CEM as a concept that ensures that individuals can understand their consumers and create or deliver a personalized experience, an aspect that will make customers remain loyal to their brands.
However, gaining such an in-depth experience of their customers comes from evaluation of consumer insights on organizational products. It requires analysis of customer data, conducting online research and getting valuable insights from experienced individuals in the business. It is worth acknowledging that CEM plays a critical role in an organization as it gives firms a competitive edge in the market. Moreover, through the concept, customers can strengthen their brand loyalty to the business product. According to Arineli & Meirelles (2015), CEM boosts revenue through increased sales for the business. Furthermore, it is an effective strategy that is used to lower operational costs for the business through reduced customer churn.
In the fashion industry, firms have a single objective, which is providing unique customer-centric shopping experience to win consumer loyalty. To become competitive in the industry, firms have to overcome the traditional fashion retailing practices. This has contributed to the recent online shopping, and through analysis of consumer information, they try to address the particular needs of their customers.
Alibaba Group is an e-commerce service firm that offers marketing services to different firms using its online platforms such as Tmall, Alipay, and Taobao. The company is appreciated by various scholars because it offers customers an excellent online shopping experience. To enhance its customer experience, the firm employs different strategies that contribute to increased brand loyalty.
Alibaba has attracted various fashion companies such GUCCI, Burberry, Calvin Klein and Hugo Boss, which hold a significant amount of global market share in the fashion industry. The firms conduct their sale through Alibaba platform, Tmall and have experienced significant improvement. Online sales of products from the fashion industry have gained significant growth in the recent past, an aspect that has made many consumers appreciate online shopping experience (Wasay, 2015). However, misleading product descriptions are some of the issues that trigger fear among most of the customers.
Alibaba’s B2C platform offers firms in the fashion industry an opportunity to interact with millions of customers in the international market (Wasay, 2015). Some of the significant strategies used by the service include; Tmall provides online shoppers with a unique experience and is appreciated because of its simplicity. Moreover, it offers a secure payment method that is fraud free and delivers products within 72 hours after placing an order. Furthermore, to retain its reputation in the market, the company offers its customers a one-week period to return products after purchase in case the products do not meet the specification of the consumers. Furthermore, the company offers a five percent sales commission on all its products, an aspect that helps retain customer loyalty.
Conclusion
CEM, as evidenced by the study, has proved to be a significant tool used in management and structuring of experience offered to customers. Customers have a huge influence on performance of any business hence firms have to find strategies for enhancing their experience to maintain their brand loyalty. Customers seek value and quality, and through the adoption of CEM, businesses in the fashion industry will deliver what customers want appropriately. By promoting a positive experience to customers, firms will develop a competitive advantage which is necessary for the modern business setting. However, producing firms in the fashion industry have to work with prominent service firms such as Alibaba that are well established in the market to benefit from the business reputation without compromising brand loyalty.
Reference
Arineli, A., & Meirelles Quintella, H. M. (2015). CEM: Increasing productivity through the management and monitoring of experiences provided to customers. Cogent Business & Management, 2(1), 1-11.
Lemon, K. N., & Verhoef, P. C. (2016). Understanding Customer Experience Throughout the Customer Journey. Journal of Marketing, 80(6), 69-96.
Marks D., 2016. The Five Levels of Content Marketing in the Fashion Industry. Retrieved on January 23, 2017 from https://www.distilled.net/resources/the-five-levels-of-content-marketing-in-the-fashion-industry/
Wasay A, (2015). Alibaba Group Holding Ltd Enhances Customer Experience. Retrieved on January 24 2017 from http://www.bidnessetc.com/52019-alibaba-group-holding-ltd-enhances-customer-experience/
