In recent weeks we\u2019ve discussed the importance of customer experience optimization<\/a> (that is, maximizing conversion and delivering against KPIs, as well as leveraging responsive and quick-win experimentation to ensure nothing gets left on the table). When it comes to customer experience innovation<\/em>, it\u2019s about taking that to the next level. If optimization is the bare minimum that you should be doing,<\/strong> innovation<\/a> is maximizing the long-term value of your brand and building a competitive edge to set you apart from the other brands in your category.<\/p>\n In this article, we\u2019ll cover:<\/p>\n [toc]<\/p>\n Here at Wingify, customer experience innovation means going beyond the product to create an exchange that delights your customers, cements their loyalty and sets the bar so high that you\u2019re the standard they come to expect from every company they encounter. It\u2019s also more than just optimizing to ensure you have a high-performing, functional website. When it comes to innovation, the goal is to stand out from the pack, staying ahead of your competition, to create a signature brand experience<\/strong> that distinguishes your business from others.<\/p>\n Think of Spotify. At a basic level, they\u2019re a streaming service that offers a huge library of content that is easy to access, and simple to subscribe to with seamless payment that makes for uninterrupted listening. But Spotify is more<\/em> than just an optimized service, they\u2019re also about innovation that delivers experiences that go beyond. One example is their user recaps<\/a>, which leverage data to create a personalized experience<\/a> to help listeners celebrate who they are (based on what they\u2019ve listened to) and give each individual their own story to tell. (It\u2019s also a nifty way for Spotify to get their users to advertise on their behalf!) Spotify is also making it clear that they\u2019re more than a streaming service: they\u2019re the embodiment of their users\u2019 wishes brought to life.<\/p>\n Companies that wrap an immersive experience around their product (as Spotify does with its year-end recaps) create a more engaging environment for their consumers that goes beyond the mere items they sell and delivers an experience that\u2019s more than just a transaction.<\/strong> From Nike creating a community of fitness to Tim Horton\u2019s gamifying its loyalty program and Oui.SNCF<\/a> leveraging AI to elevate trip planning, these companies are using customer experience innovation to drive sales.<\/p>\n In 2020, Accenture\u2019s Business of Experience <\/a>report<\/a> found that 77% of CEOs believe their company will fundamentally change the way it connects and interacts with its customers, and that leading companies are twice as likely to have the agility to pivot towards new models that deliver value than their competitors. Not sure on which side you fall? Let\u2019s take a look at the key elements for customer experience innovation.<\/p>\n In the current environment of fast-moving technological change marked by devices and services which are never far out of reach (and thus never truly off), your brand is accessible at all times; long gone are the days when shops would close and your customers would have to wait for them to reopen the following morning. This presents a multitude of opportunities to drive meaningful interactions and engagements with your consumers alongside added value to your business. And to get there, you need to leverage experimentation<\/a>.<\/p>\n Experimentation can be run client-side (front-facing, on the website\u2019s interface) and server-side (on the back-end, across all digital touchpoints if necessary). Client-side testing runs in your visitors\u2019 browsers and is limited in scope to largely aesthetic and layout measures. To dive deeper into experience innovation, you\u2019ll need to get into server-side.<\/p>\n Server-side experimentation<\/a> allows for more sophisticated experiments, tests features that go beyond the surface level and is platform- and language-agnostic. It\u2019s also a heavier lift and needs developer and tech team input; as it\u2019s run using a website\u2019s source code, this testing relies upon coding skills. To implement server-side experimentation, you\u2019ll need buy-in from both marketing and product teams, and a willingness to invest developer resources into running your experiments. But you\u2019ll also achieve more flexible and sophisticated testing, such as price sensitivity and elasticity testing, as well as testing across multiple channels.<\/p>\n Feature management is a process by which developers release updates gradually, through the use of feature flags<\/a>, to allow platform updates to be tested while minimizing the risk of major site crashes or performance issues when rolling out new software releases. Using progressive deployment and rollbacks, where parts of the code are removed to allow features to be toggled off and on, feature management can test multiple versions of an update to determine which yields the best result \u2013 optimizing against set KPIs \u2013 and should thus be adopted permanently. Using this approach also ensures that you nail the transition to an updated platform with existing users, delivering an elevated experience that guarantees they never look back.<\/p>\n Each experimentation method has strengths and challenges, but it is in their combination that their greatest power lies. By leveraging both client- and server-side testing, you are able to go beyond optimization to build total brand experiences.<\/strong><\/p>\n Zwift<\/a><\/strong> is a multiplayer online game and fitness platform that leverages virtual reality to transport its players\u2019 running and cycling workouts to various iconic locations around the world. Ever wanted to tackle the famous Alpe d\u2019Huez stage of the Tour de France or the bone-jamming cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix? This is the kind of platform that can make that happen. Users connect their turbo trainer or treadmill to the Zwift app and the in-game avatars bring workouts to more than 240 miles of virtual terrain, and permit group sessions and participatory events such as the Virtual Tour de France. The pandemic saw a considerable upswing in at-home fitness, but Zwift\u2019s innovation takes the experience of working out at home to another level.<\/p>\n Ride-sharing phenomenon Uber<\/a><\/strong> identified that 60% of trips in Sydney, Australia, begin or end in areas with limited access to frequent public transport. Leveraging that user insight, they launched the Uber and Transit feature in September 2020, enabling riders to identify the best combination of public transit and UberX rides to complete their journey. The feature gives passengers the ability to compare the cost and time for their trips depending on the constellation of transport methods they adopt, an approach that prioritizes customer needs without driving users away from their core service.<\/p>\n Consumers are increasingly conscious of the sustainability commitments of the brands with which they engage. Swiss sporting goods manufacturer On<\/strong><\/a> adopted a subscriber approach to support a business model which encourages circularity without stymying both the desire and the necessity to consume products (in this company\u2019s case, shoes). Customers pay a US29.99 subscription fee which allows them to swap out their current shoes for new ones as often as they\u2019d like, and also delivers On sufficient sneaker returns to make circularity feasible. The shoes are made from castor beans and can be completely recycled, giving that growing consumer base of sustainability-focused customers peace of mind whilst still serving their performance needs.<\/p>\n Want even more best-practice examples of brands hitting it out of the park? Check out Wingify\u2019s guide to optimization trends. Get your copy of the \u201c50 Tests You Should Know for Your Website<\/a>\u201d E-book now!<\/p>\n We\u2019ve already established that experience optimization is the bare minimum when approaching your brand\u2019s online presence and commercial activities, and that experience innovation<\/em> is what takes you to the next level in your category. To innovate is to experiment \u2013 exploring different configurations, layouts, price thresholds and incentives, as Jonny Longden<\/a> of Journey Further told us on the \u201c1000 Experiments Club\u201d podcast. Your experimentation roadmap is essential to retaining your customers, recruiting new ones and growing your business.<\/p>\n Experience innovation is not owned by one team: It takes multiple divisions collaborating toward the common goal that is established by your roadmap. Setting up your internal organization to anticipate customer demands requires investment in your tech stack, alignment and cooperation between product, tech and marketing teams, and allocation of resources in accordance with your agreed-upon experimentation plan.<\/p>\nWhy customer experience innovation matters<\/h2>\n
![\"Spotify](\"https:\/\/static.wingify.com\/gcp\/uploads\/abtasty\/Spotify-leverages-data-1024x576.jpg\")
The key components of experience innovation<\/h2>\n
![\"Companies](\"https:\/\/static.wingify.com\/gcp\/uploads\/abtasty\/Companies-need-to-leverage-experimentation-1024x682.jpg\")
Server-side experimentation<\/h3>\n
Feature management<\/h3>\n
![\"Get](\"https:\/\/static.wingify.com\/gcp\/uploads\/abtasty\/Get-the-most-out-of-experimentation-1024x725.jpg\")
Three innovative companies that are taking up the challenge<\/h2>\n
1. Zwift<\/h3>\n
![\"Zwift](\"https:\/\/static.wingify.com\/gcp\/uploads\/abtasty\/Zwift-example-brands-1024x474.jpg\")
2. Uber<\/h3>\n
![\"Uber](\"https:\/\/static.wingify.com\/gcp\/uploads\/abtasty\/Uber-example-brands-1024x476.jpg\")
3. On<\/h3>\n
![\"On](\"https:\/\/static.wingify.com\/gcp\/uploads\/abtasty\/On-example-brands-1024x506.jpg\")
Collaborate across teams for continual evolution and development<\/h2>\n
![\"Experience](\"https:\/\/static.wingify.com\/gcp\/uploads\/abtasty\/Experience-innovation-requires-alignment.jpg\")
<\/h3>\n