Retail Contact Center Growth Opportunities in North America—2023
Successful Providers Must Bridge the Physical and Digital Realms
Preparing for a pandemic that lifts or redescends is top of mind for retailers that must navigate increasing foot traffic in stores and in malls with a large retail footprint. To mitigate economic headwinds, customer retention is key. Malls and retailers need new ways to entice pandemic-weary customers, and retailers must find the optimal mix of digital and brick-and-mortar, making both equally compelling and open to hybrid phygital experiences.
This is the third year Frost & Sullivan has tracked the changing retail contact center landscape and is a follow on to a study published in September 2022. This growth opportunity report incorporates data from Frost & Sullivan research and other secondary sources.
Digital transformation was a central component of Frost & Sullivan’s 2021 and 2022 reports and remains a central theme in 2023. This fits well with consumer predilection for self-service options, researching and getting feedback on goods and services before they engage with a business, and wanting that information flow to continue when they move from an online to in-person experience. We are moving into an enhanced era of phygital experiences that fluidly move between online and in person.
This study is valuable for solution providers to better understand what each industry seeks in delivering excellent customer experience and healthcare organizations to benchmark themselves against the competition and other industries.
KEY FEATURES
This report details additional examples of retail transformation, including:
The embellishment of customer interaction channels, including short message service (SMS) and social messaging (Facebook, Twitter, LINE, WhatsApp, Instagram)
The further use of AI to enhance employee and customer service
Enhancing proactive outbound contact with additional capabilities (voice and SMS)
Extending proactive and interactive customer contact two ways from the contact center to brick-and-mortar retail establishments
Integrating knowledge management systems to enhance self-service channels and back up agents when self-service is not enough
Advanced analytics for increased personalization and customization, customer sentiment, and preference management
Use of newer technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and generative AI to broaden both digital and in-person consumer experiences.
The Changing Retail Contact Center Landscape
Strategic Objectives of this Study
Retail Recap: State of the Retail Customer Care Industry: 2010-2022
Moving Forward: The State of Retail Customer Care: 2023-2027
Definitions
Strategic Imperatives
Why is it Increasingly Difficult to Grow?
The Strategic Imperative 8
The Impact of the Top 3 Strategic Imperatives on the North American Retail Contact Center Industry
Growth Opportunities Fuel the Growth Pipeline Engine
Growth Environment
Top 5 Global Economic Highlights of 2022
Layoffs and Store Closures Illustrate the Shifting Retail Landscape
Retail Contact Center Growth Environment
Digital Transformation and the Infusion of AI in Retail
2023 Global Contact Center Survey Results/Methodology: Retail
Customer Research Methodology and Respondent Profile
Retail Decision Maker Feedback
Enhancing the Mobile and In-Store Digital Journey
Bridging the Retail-Digital Divide
Company Use Cases
CallMiner
CallMiner Success Story: Radial
Clickatell
Clickatell Success Stories
Growth Opportunity Universe
Growth Opportunity 1: Using AI to Maximize the Value of Data
Growth Opportunity 2: Blended Approach to Service and Sales