Emad Raja
Digital marketing & social media specialist,
Active DMC
Yes
The convenience offered through digital commerce is the main reason it’s a fiercely competitive market, and businesses will go to great lengths to ensure they stay ahead of the curve. Though convenience is the backbone of digital commerce, in this new competitive digital era, the experience outweighs the convenience. Yes, there is no doubt that convenience plays a big role in influencing and attracting customers and bringing them to the door, but the inconvenience of the experience could just as swiftly drive them away. Whilst some might value convenience and speed over quality and control, it’s not enough to attract, engage and retain your customers. Today, customers expect a seamless experience from start to finish.
Mauricio Sanaiote
Creative director, VMLYR Commerce
Yes
Actually, convenience is the result of the sum of the factors that make the consumer’s experience: omni-channel presence, easy-to-use interface, clear information, personalisation, simple checkout, security, efficient service, transparent and agile delivery process, simplified return/exchange process, effective customer service and support – all of this perfectly combined with seamless, clear brand positioning and communications that define its purpose in the
lives of the consumers. If your business fails in any of these, there is lack of convenience. Therefore, it is impossible to dissociate experience from convenience, both being crucial and inseparable factors.
Aref Yahia
Head of retail and e-commerce, TikTok Global Business solutions, METAP
Yes
In a digital-native society where more than 3 billion people worldwide are connected
to the internet via their mobile phones, convenience is now engrained in the fabric
of our culture. Consumers are now used to having everything at the click of a button, whether it’s their laundry being picked up and dropped off to their doors or the latest trainers the minute they are released.
For this reason, competition among brands is fierce. What could have previously been considered as convenient has now become standard. Consumers today have bigger asks and expectations from brands, beyond transactions. They are looking for a meaningful communication and validation for their purchase. Shoppers today connect with brands on a deeper level. They are looking for relevance, empathy, engagement and joy, which is everything we believe in at TikTok. While convenience has become a given for brands that want to survive in their digital commerce, the experience they offer is what will make them thrive.
Richard Nicoll
Chief strategy & capability officer at Liquid – Shopper Marketing & Ecommerce
No
For online shoppers a combination of factors such as quality, convenience, range, safety and value is what leads to purchase.
In the past year, e-commerce has become a brand-building channel, especially in FMCG. We see that things have got more competitive. Hence, e-commerce marketplaces are stepping up their game when it comes to brand-building functionality.
Take Amazon, for example; we’ve gone from the basics, pack shot and product descriptions, to helpful product education, inspiration and brand-building via a brand’s own stores embedded into the platform.
So, in a nutshell, I’d say, e-commerce has gone from a channel simply to buy, to a place to have a convenient shopping experience.
Serge Selwan El Khoury
Associate director, digital integration & delivery, Isobar
Maybe
Both are equally important.
Brands should always focus on a customer-centred design throughout the funnel. From discovery down to purchase, with convenience being at the heart of this strategic thinking as it remains one of the most important components for a positive customer experience.
For a good e-commerce experience we need to look at the following: speed, convenience, consistency and friendliness, with the aim of making our approach more human and creating a connection between the brand and the online audience.
Floriane Kawkabani
Associate director, luxury, beauty, retail, Digital Media Services
No
It shouldn’t be one or the other, as they complement each other. Convenience enables experience; remember, e-commerce is what got us through the pandemic. Experience can be defined in different ways, depending on the product. Luxury is focused on the experience and how to translate the retail journey to e-commerce. Convenience comes with services and great customer experiences. While experience is still a struggle for some categories (perfume and make-up, etc.), consumers still purchase beauty products online out of convenience once they are loyal to them. Experience brings consumers closer to brands, while convenience is the long-term result of loyalty.
Abdur Rehman Tahir
Senior performance manager, Fusion5
Yes
Experience is more important than convenience in digital commerce. The steady growth of technology has elevated the extent of the user journey. Businesses are moving to experience-led platforms, and a good experience keeps the customers happy and satisfied. A bad experience can leave a lasting impression on how we feel about the brand and we might well be reluctant to do business with it in the future. Studies found that nearly three-quarters of customers switch to a competitor brand after one bad experience. Good customer experience increases retention and satisfaction rates and results in higher order rates and a higher return on spending.
Abdallah Abou Hamdan,
Integrated Strategy Manager, Boopin
No
Experience and convenience are equally vital in digital commerce. They are major pillars for success as digitalisation and e-commerce continues to grow tremendously. With high competition and a wide variety of choices, convenience could be the main key to converting consumers as shoppers become more time-sensitive. Maintaining a decent level of convenience is not enough alone; experience is also essential and should not be undervalued. Nowadays consumers can easily and quickly share their experience, which in turn will influence other consumers’ overall decisions. Concisely, brands should score high on convenience to elevate customer experience and secure endurance.
Mazen Jawad
President, Horizon Holdings
Maybe
It’s a shoppers’ choice.
While shopping usually takes place on a spectrum that spreads between the store and home, the shopper is the one who decides of the importance of the product being purchased and whether it’s preferred as an automated purchase or a personal one.
Most shoppers would prefer convenience when buying household products, for example, especially when it comes to the cleaning and personal care segments. Nevertheless, experiential can still play a positive role within convenience whenever the shopper may be interacting with an online/hybrid activation that sprinkles a touch of an emotion on those high-speed shopping habits.
On the other side, high-touch categories such as automotive, furniture and fashion, where a retail experience is needed to action and augment the transaction, is when experiential becomes core and may start with an online experience that finishes in-store, or vice versa.
