In 2019, an exemplary customer experience strategy will be the difference between your brand and your closest competitor. In fact, a recent Gartner study revealed 81% of executives believe they’ll compete on CX alone, but only 22% have claimed to have developed the right product, digital and marketing strategy that exceeds customer expectations.

Ahead of this year’s Open Mobile & Digital Experience Summit, we spoke with leading Digital, Product and Marketing leaders to uncover their goals, as well as how they are putting customer expectations at the center of their business.

Digital, Product and Marketing must all work together to deliver personalized digital experiences, timely and relevant marketing and on-the-go mobile access. Hear what these pioneers had to say…

For 2019 Incite Group has made a bold statement: ‘Customer First. Digital Second.’ What are your thoughts on product’s role to leverage the voice of the customer to build impactful product experiences?

Anne Yauger, AVP, Digital Products, CarMax: “One of CarMax’s core values is ‘We Put People First,’ and we believe the only way to create a differentiated and impactful customer experience is to see this experience from the perspective of the customer. The voice of the customer is central to everything we create.

While technology is a prominent enabler of customer experience in today’s digital world, innovative solutions don’t always involve technology. In many cases, we need to look beyond digital for the best solution to meet customer needs. Customers who are shopping for a large, complicated or emotionally-driven purchase (a car is all these things!) are often looking for a real human connection in addition to an enabling digital experience.

Ultimately, I believe that Product’s role is to discover, validate and build the iconic experiences that truly solve customer problems — whether they are digital, physical or a combination of the two.”

CarMax will delve deeper into their product and CX strategy at this year’s Open Mobile & Digital Experience Summit SF (Nov 7-8^th) uniting digital, product and marketing leaders to discuss the latest tools and strategies you can implement across digital experience, product, mobile, growth marketing and more. Find out more here: https://events.incite-group.com/oms/

For 2019, we have identified the importance of building impactful experiences that add value to consumers’ lives beyond a transaction. What are your thoughts on this?

Bryan Ennis, VP of Product, CarMax: “The car buying transaction is an inherently complex and emotional experience – this is the second largest purchase most of us ever make, after a home. Knowing this about our customers’ journey, we focus on enabling our customers digitally alongside building a relationship with the customer that transcends the transaction.

For example, the center point of CarMax’s new omnichannel experience (which allows the customer to do as much or as little of the car buying process from home as they’d like) is our customer check out process we call the customer hub. The customer hub allows customers to take control of their shopping experience and progress digitally. Customers can see all the steps they’ve taken, whether that’s saving their favorite vehicles, getting prequalified for financing, or receiving an offer on their existing vehicle. Most importantly, the hub allows customers to easily seek out help from a CarMax consultant when and how the customer prefers (through text, e-mail or a phone call). CarMax consultants also have visibility to the hub, which enables us to know exactly where the customer is on their shopping journey and provide customized support. As we continue to build and evolve this product, our goal is to enable customers digitally, while continuing to build the relationship that’s critical to the experience transcending the transaction.”

Learn more from CarMax and 400+ other big brands at this year’s Open Mobile & Digital Experience Summit SF (Nov 7-8^th) which will shape your digital, product and marketing strategy for 2020. Find out more here: https://events.incite-group.com/oms/

As consumers engage across multiple channels, mobile remains a critical customer touchpoint. How is Groupon differing their mobile experience for 2019?

Sarah Butterfass, Chief Product Officer, Groupon: “We’re aggressively transforming our mobile experience so that it’s evolving with the customer. While we strive to make our app and mobile web experience great, we’re taking an extra step. Instead of focusing solely on how we can create a seamless experience on Groupon, we’re thinking about how our seamless experiences can help make someone else’s experience better and more valuable. In other words, how do we enable more great experiences, regardless of where they start? Meeting the customer where they’re at is an important part of how we’re continuing to be a mobile-first company with over 200 million downloads of our mobile apps.”

Groupon will join Mastercard, Hilton, Uber, Amazon and Walmart at this year’s Open Mobile & Digital Experience Summit SF (Nov 7-8^th) which will shape your digital, product and marketing strategy for 2020. Find out more here: https://events.incite-group.com/oms/