Hot topics in digital retail: Alignment

How digital teams at Zappos, ThredUP and JCPenney are improving customer experiences with better internal collaboration

Whether it’s changing the color of a “buy” button or replatforming an entire site, design and UX projects often expose underlying organizational structure and culture issues. How can retailers get internal teams on the same page and develop better processes for enabling innovation?

The digital disconnect

The needs of e-commerce and bricks-and-mortar are often in conflict, Deloitte’s Jeff Simpson says. For retailers to truly be “omnichannel,” they’ll need to plan more holistically. Otherwise customers will be shopping an online product selection that doesn’t exist when they arrive at their local store, and no one wants to be responsible for that disappointing customer experience.

Customer-centric solutions

Instead of worrying about things like personalization and channel attribution, Simpson recommends focusing efforts on understanding each step of the customer journey. Many retailers are underinvesting in some stages of that journey and overinvesting in others. New hires at Zappos get a better understanding of the shopping experience with a month-long training that includes time on the phone with customers. Head of UX Jason Broughton says it helps everyone in the company develop a sense of empathy for customers and contributes to a stronger shared vision.

ThredUP’s Anthony Marino emphasizes the importance of clarifying your company’s brand positioning and target customer, and credits the young e-commerce company’s growth with a shared focus on a well-defined customer persona.

Access to data

Marino also believes that access to data — whether you’re the CEO or a distribution center associate — is critical. When there are no “data bread lines” in the company and employees are trained to use data, employees are more empowered to make quick decisions that support the brand’s goals.

Internal advocacy

It’s easier said than done, but digital teams have a responsibility to remind executives why digital channels matter. If you’re facing resistance, Simpson recommends starting with a smaller project or single category and tracking important metrics to prove new concepts.

Collaboration is in, consensus is out

“Getting people on the same page is overrated — building consensus is the surest path to risk aversion and mediocrity. Because risk avoidance is the norm in business, most people are conditioned and empowered to say no, but few are confident and brave enough to say, ‘I believe in this, I’m willing to take the risk and I’ll take accountability for the outcome whether it’s terrible or awesome,’” JCPenney’s Lance Thornswood says. “Truly innovating requires courageous leadership.”