Event summary: designing the digital experience OS of the future
What will tomorrow's digital experience OS look like, and how can brands outpace their rivals, now?
At an event with digital experts from Tesco Mobile and the JD Group, SQLI delved into some of the game-changing digital strategies brands are using to maximise their potential now and in the future.
Neil Faid of Tesco Mobile and Benjamin Lloyd-Wilson of JD Group joined SQLI’s CTO Pete Youell at London’s Groucho Club to discuss their digital journeys and dive into topics like personalisation, customer retention, brand stacking, and platform optimisation.
The event centred on the digital experience operating system (DXOS), emphasising that a brand’s digital ecosystem should mediate between customer and product, much like a phone OS connects hardware and user. Just like a phone, a brand’s DXOS needs regular updates to stay at its best.
Among the topics covered, were:
How important is personalisation to a brand’s growth?
The panel discussed the rising difficultly in retaining customers and how the period customers were spending on sites, was shortening. Personalised customer experiences were seen as the antidote to these challenges.
Personalisation is a major focus for us and will continue to grow. Customers now expect highly personalised shopping experiences. Brands must engage quickly on the customer's preferred channels and use intelligent search to streamline the customer experience.
How should brands be using customer data in the DXOS of the future?
The panel highlighted the tougher challenge of retaining customers over attracting new ones, stressing the critical importance of safe data use.
"Data should be leveraged almost in real-time during the shopping experience, but always with consent. It's crucial to act responsibly; for instance, avoid sending enticing offers to customers who are struggling to pay their bills." Neil Faid, technology lead, acquisition, at Tesco Mobile
Why is it so important today to make smaller, regular updates to your digital experience OS, rather than wholesale changes?
With many brands accelerating their digital transformation investments during the COVID years, the panel discussed the importance of making the most of what they already have. They emphasised the need for smaller, regular updates to their tech stacks and highlighted the importance of driving efficiencies for future growth.
At JD Group we are shifting our focus from driving growth at any cost, to driving efficient growth at a reasonable rate. There is a huge shift in social commerce becoming more prevalent. Are you ready for this? Can you start to utilise AI (Artificial Intelligence) or your data better?
What should brands be doing to protect themselves from customers shopping around, or brand-stacking, as it is sometimes known?
The panel discussed using affiliate sites to help widen the customer reach and loyalty programmes to encourage returning customers.
“Building out complex loyalty programmes really appeal to customers. Customers who do not shop around, but regularly purchase products from you will receive the long-term benefits. It is a great way of encouraging shoppers to be loyal to one brand or group of brands. We have a lot of younger people getting into walking and camping and they may be more likely to be looking for one-off purchases, so we use the data and insights to position each brand in the group to different markets." Benjamin Lloyd-Wilson, multichannel lead at JD Group
What initial steps should brands take in experimenting with AI to better understand its possibilities?
While AI is a valuable tool for the DXOS of the future, the panel discussed how many brands are not ready or equipped to be using it to automate large areas of the business.
“We are using AI as a tool to complement our existing customer service offering. At the moment we feel it is a bit of a buzzword, but it has been around for a long time and is used in many areas of the business, but I do not think it needs to be this terrifying thing it is being made out to be. Try to make small steps without investing huge amounts of money into it.” Neil Faid, technology lead at Tesco Mobile
After years of major investment, brands are now squeezing every drop from their existing resources, refining digital ecosystems with AI integration, data optimisation, and enhanced customer experiences. The integration of AI, in particular, marks a significant shift towards a more data-driven and customer-centric approach.
Want to find out more?
SQLI has crafted original digital solution experiences for global giants like Nespresso, Sharp, Fortnum & Mason, Tesco Mobile, and Airbus. Many brands lean on our experience and knowhow to provide a fresh perspective on their business and digital strategies.
Our recommendations allow brands to implement smaller yet impactful improvements, enabling them to achieve that crucial extra 10 percent boost in sales, efficiency, business agility, and future performance maximisation.
