In this debut episode of Where’s Your Customer, I’m laying the groundwork for everything we’ll explore together. Whether you’re listening while commuting or reading during your lunch break, you’ll discover why most retail customer experience strategies fail and learn the 3-part framework that explains how experiences work.
I share the personal story that shaped my entire career perspective on retail connections, break down the shocking statistics about the customer experience gap, and give you practical strategies you can implement immediately, regardless of your role or department.
Perfect for: Retail marketers, operations managers, category professionals, and anyone who wants to create experiences that make customers feel genuinely valued.
What you’ll walk away with: A clear understanding of what customer experience really means, a framework for improvement, and your first action steps toward transformation.
Why Most Retail Customer Experience Strategies Are Failing (And What You Can Do About It)
Have you ever walked into a shop as a customer and felt completely invisible? No eye contact, no greeting, no help, you end up just wandering around trying to figure everything out yourself.
Sometimes that’s fine. We’re all busy, and I genuinely love a good self-service checkout. But here’s what I’ve learned after 20+ years in retail marketing and customer experience: sometimes we just want to feel seen. We want to feel appreciated. We want retailers to recognise that we’re shopping there every week and that our loyalty actually matters.
The problem? There’s a massive disconnect between what retailers think they’re delivering and what customers actually experience.
The Shocking Truth About Customer Experience in Retail
Here’s a worrying statistic: 80% of companies believe they deliver exceptional customer experience. Sounds encouraging, right?
But when Bain & Company dug deeper, they discovered that only 8% of customers agree.
That’s not just a gap; it’s a black hole where frustrated customers, missed sales, and negative reviews disappear into. And to be honest, it’s exactly why I started this podcast and why you’re reading this right now.
What Customer Experience Really Means (Spoiler: It’s Not Just Good Service)
Let me be clear about something: customer experience isn’t just about friendly teams or quick checkout times. It’s everything your customer thinks, feels, and does because of how you show up as a brand.
It’s the complete journey; before they enter your shop or website, during their visit, and long after they’ve left. How do you answer their questions? How do you handle complaints? What happens when something goes wrong?
The Story That Changed How I Think About Retail Forever
When I was at university, I worked on the checkouts at Asda. I’d been there about a year when this lovely regular customer came over to me one day. We always had little chats as I scanned her weekly shopping.
“Thank you,” she said. “I want you to know that some days I don’t get to speak to anybody, so having a chat with you at the till really makes my day.”
That moment clarified everything for me. That’s why we do this work. Retail isn’t just about selling products; it’s about community, connection, and making people feel like they matter.
Ever since then, I’ve believed that retailers have a genuine responsibility to help people feel noticed, happy, and connected. Because people remember how you make them feel, long after they’ve forgotten what they bought.
The 3-Part Framework That Explains Retail Customer Experience
McKinsey research reveals that customer experiences break down into three distinct elements. But here’s what most retailers get wrong: they focus on the parts that matter least. Let’s look at the 3 elements of a Customer Experience, according to McKinsey.
1. Functionality: Does It Actually Work? (25% of Experience)
This is your baseline. Does the experience deliver what you promise?
- If customers are on a shopping mission, can they complete it with you?
- Can they get what they want?
- Does their purchase work as intended?
This makes up just 25% of the customer experience, but many businesses stop here, thinking they’ve nailed customer service.
2. Accessibility: How Easy Is It Really? (25% of Experience)
Here’s where things get trickier:
- Is your shopping experience easy to complete?
- Can customers find what they’re looking for quickly?
- Do you make the whole process simple and seamless?
This sounds straightforward, but it’s surprisingly easy to get wrong and incredibly hard to get consistently right across all touch points.
3. Emotion: How Do You Make People Feel? (50% of Experience)
This is the big one. Literally half of your customers’ experience comes down to emotion.
How your customers feel is more important and powerful than what they’re buying or using. Think about that for a moment.
Emotions are unpredictable because they’re deeply personal. We don’t know everyone individually. But we can appreciate people personally by enhancing our empathy and communication skills. When we do this well, we can turn potentially negative experiences into positive ones and significantly increase the chances of customers returning.
Why Customer Experience Is Your Job (Yes, Even If You’re Not in CX)
You might be thinking, “Jo, I work in finance/operations/HR/category management. Customer experience isn’t really my job.”
Here’s the truth: Yes, it absolutely is.
A customer experience department can only achieve so much because exceptional customer experience requires everyone to take ownership. Every decision you make, every process you design, every policy you implement touches the customer experience somehow.
Every Department Impacts Customer Experience:
Operations: Your inventory management affects product availability. Finance: Your pricing decisions influence perceived value. HR: Your hiring and training creates the team culture customers experience. Category: Your product selection determines whether customers find what they need. Marketing: Your messaging sets expectations that operations must deliver
This isn’t about adding more to your workload, it’s about approaching your existing work with a customer-first mindset.
The Daily Question That Changes Everything
That’s why I named this podcast “Where’s Your Customer?” It’s a simple question that should guide every decision we make in retail:
- Where are your customers in their journey right now?
- Are you meeting them there?
- Are you helping them succeed in their shopping missions?
When you start asking these questions consistently, something shifts. You begin seeing your work through your customers’ eyes. You spot friction points others miss. You identify opportunities to create moments of genuine connection.
What Happens When You Get Customer Experience Right
I’ve seen what’s possible when retailers truly embrace customer-centric thinking:
Customers become advocates who recommend you to friends and family. Teams feel more purpose because they understand their impact. Sales increase because satisfied customers spend more and return more often. Complaints decrease because you’re preventing problems instead of just fixing them. Staff retention improves because people enjoy work that feels meaningful
But none of this happens by accident. It requires intentional strategy, consistent execution, and a willingness to put customer needs at the centre of business decisions.
Where Do You Start Your Customer Experience Transformation?
The good news is you don’t need a massive budget or complete organisational restructure to begin improving customer experience. You can start making a difference from whatever role you’re in right now.
Your First Steps:
Begin with empathy: Spend time actually experiencing your business as a customer would
Ask better questions: “Where’s your customer?” should become your default lens
Look for friction: What makes it hard for customers to succeed with you?
Celebrate connection: Notice and share examples of great customer moments
Think beyond transactions: Consider the complete customer journey
What’s Coming Next in Your Customer Experience Journey
Over the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing practical, actionable strategies you can implement regardless of your role or department:
- Understanding customer personas: Who are you really serving?
- Customer journey mapping: Visualising the complete experience
- Creating feedback loops: How to actually listen to customers
- Smart segmentation: Treating different customers appropriately
- Building team alignment: Getting everyone focused on customers
- Leading culture change: Becoming a customer experience champion
Each episode will give you frameworks, tools, and real examples you can use immediately.
Join Me in Closing the Customer Experience Gap
I’m on a mission to help retail professionals like you create experiences that make customers feel genuinely valued. Not because it’s a nice thing to do (though it is), but because it’s what drives sustainable business success.
If you’re ready to start thinking customer-first and creating experiences that build loyalty, drive sales, and make work more meaningful, then this journey is for you.
Listen to the full episode for my ASDA story and additional insights, or follow Where’s Your Customer so you don’t miss any practical strategies I’ll be sharing.
If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your retail colleagues who are ready to put customers at the heart of everything they do, too.
