[[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/10\/25\/customer-experience-in-2030-will-look-like-this\/#Article","articleBody":"How we shop and interact has completely changed in the past decade, yet the entire customer revolution is still only in its infancy. What will the customer experience look like in 2030?\nTechnology has forced huge changes in how we consume and interact with brands. Millennials and Generation Z \u2013 roughly everyone born between 1980 and now \u2013 have grown up with smartphones, social media, web shops, and increasingly, interactive experiences. Their desires and demands to a great extent determine how brands should present themselves, as this group is by far the largest consumer group, in both numbers and spending power.\n \nGeneration Z stats: How marketers can reach the up-and-coming buyer\n Everything you wanted to know about The Youth but were afraid to ask. These Gen Z stats provide insights into the values, deal-breakers, rules of engagement, and trends of the up-and-coming business leaders of tomorrow. \nToday, the individual customer is already the boss. Their satisfaction and optimal gratification is worth a lot, and will only be worth more by 2030. This development has great consequences for the design of transport, logistics, and retail.\nCustomer experience in 2030: The most important features\nCustomer experience in 2030 will be comprised of several key areas:\u00a0\nOmnichannel will reign supreme, with customers demanding the ability to purchase from a brand, no matter the channel \u2013 further driving home the importance of seamless customer engagement.\n3D will make brands pop out \u2013 from 3D printers to 3D ads, dimensional is here to stay.\nSustainability in business and the circular economy will rise, due to consumer concerns about the environment and their demands that brands do their part.\nServices and subscriptions will be a requirement for businesses to grow.\nEmotional intelligence will become a core feature for brands, from neuromarketing to understanding customer needs, to Artificial Intelligence, expect EI to grow tremendously.\nShop windows will evolve: Both digital and physical storefronts will become more personalized, and pull AI into the results.\nSupply chains will need to be transparent and ethical, as consumers will be more focused on where their items are sourced in an effort to support their desire to spend money with brands who exhibit purpose.\nDelivery must deliver: Don\u2019t think you can pass a customer off to a delivery company anymore \u2013 if something doesn\u2019t arrive as expected, it *IS* your problem.\nFrom brick to outdoor\nE-shopping will be as normal in 2030 as a fried egg on a Sunday morning. This doesn\u2019t mean that physical stores will have lost their value, but they will look very different than what we are used to in 2018, as this post is written. The traditional department stores will largely have been replaced by \u2018retail spaces\u2019 which will often be located outdoor.\n \nI hate shopping. Here are 5 reasons I stand in line at Sephora (Listen up, retailers)\n As countless retailers shutter their physical locations, Sephora is expanding. Learn the brick and mortar retail trends that are contributing to their success. \nThere are various reasons for this, such as increased construction costs and the need for much more flexibility than bricks can offer. The open air shops will not just focus on sales, they will mainly offer an experience. Moreover, the emphasis will be on the social aspect. And when it rains, the shop will quickly be covered using advanced technology.\nIndustrial 3D printers, sold in the shop\nConsumers want to buy what they want, where they want, and when they want. The risks of keeping stock will have further increased in 2030. The answer? Industrial 3D printers produce \u2018on demand\u2019 products. T\nThese printers will not be located at industrial sites, but can simply be found in the shop. The customer stands around and watches, and immediately takes his fully \u2018customized\u2019 product home with him.\u00a0\nCustomer experience in 2030: Everything is circular and whenever possible, local\nWorries about the planet will strongly increase between 2018 and 2030 \u2013 and also amongst consumers, who will still almost exclusively opt for circular products and services. This will lead to a huge upsurge in the amount of sharing concepts.\nClothes, means of transportation, tools, living space: you name it \u2013 there will be a sharing or \u2018as-a-service\u2019 concept for it. Products that are individually purchased will be entirely and infinitely reusable at the end of their lifecycle. Manufacturers that have not explicitly presented themselves as sustainable over the past decades will surely fail.\nThe increase in environmental and health consciousness will also have resulted in a revaluation for small-scale and local. Local crafts will be hugely valued. This will not only benefit local communities; the planet itself will also appreciate this change in behaviour. Logistics will become much easier and less burdensome. Thanks to extensive data and behavioural analysis, the offer will be strongly adapted to local preferences and habits.\n \nSustainability in fashion: Industry teeters on ethical catwalk\n Fashion is a $2.5 trillion industry, producing 10% of global carbon emissions, 20% of global wastewater, and vast biodiversity loss. Consumers are demanding change, forcing sustainability in fashion as a requirement, not a trend. \nNearly every product will become available \u2018as a service\u2019 and offer subscriptions will drive bottom lines\nNearly all products that you will be able to buy in 2018 will be available as a service in 2030. The traditional model of ownership will have shifted increasingly towards renting products and buying services in which the original product no longer matters.\nTake, for instance, a lawnmower. The object itself is of little value. Behind the product however lies a need: customers want to have a regularly manicured lawn. The rise of companies like Uber and Snappcar are an example of this development. Rather than owning a car, the transport from A to B is the focal point. Getting back to the lawnmower: Amazon already understood this development in 2015. Consumers back then could already rent goats for manicuring the lawn.\nMeanwhile, subscriptions will also become critical to brands, as simplicity and ease are key factors to customer experience in 2030.\n \nHow the subscription commerce model is driving a DTC retail boom\n DTC retail is booming thanks to the subscription commerce model. Learn the benefits of these models and which model is best for your business. \nUnderstanding emotions: Customers are the heart of every business \u2013 and brands must understand what fuels their emotions in order to retain \u2013 and earn new \u2013 customers\nAccording to Gartner, 80 percent of all customer contacts will take place via artificial intelligence by 2030. These AI systems will not only understand the customer\u2019s individual preferences, but will also recognise the customer\u2019s mood. Depending on whether a customer is angry, happy or sad, the system will adapt to these emotions. AI systems recognise emotions by voice, wording, and facial expression, which is why brands use them in both physical stores and web shops.\nThe technology can be valuable in all customer contact moments that take place via AI.\nCustomers value empathic abilities, even if this takes place via bots. According to recent research from the Fashion Institute of Technology, millennials in particular seek an emotional connection with a brand.\nAn AI system that recognises emotions and anticipates them will seem more human, reinforcing that connection. Customers have the feeling that \u2018the system\u2019 thinks along with them, and they feel better understood.\nEmotion recognition not only reduces the risk of a dissatisfied customer completely turning his back on a brand, it also provides new possibilities for \u2018up-selling\u2019. A happy or satisfied customer is, after all, more likely to buy something else, whereas this sales technique will probably seem more pushy to an angry customer.\nEmotion recognition, however, does not eliminate the value and necessity of human contact with the customer. However advanced AI might be, it cannot replace human warmth and compassion. For some matters, people will always prefer dealing with a human. (Technology where possible, human where needed.)\nThe challenge in 2030 will be not go overboard in using technology, as effectively illustrated in the video below.\nShop windows will become interactive, shops will present experiences, and specialized or customized stores will grow tremendously\nNot all shops are open 24\/7, nor will this be the case in 2030. The high streets in the evening hours and on Sunday will nevertheless be far less boring than in 2018.\nShop windows will have interactive screens displaying ever-changing content. The content shown will be adapted to issues like the weather, time, and even to the person standing in front of the shop window. Passers-by can immediately order the displayed items with their smartphone. They will also have easy access to more information about a product via a QR code.\nPhysical shops will have changed into showrooms and \u2018experience centres\u2019. Using holograms, virtual reality, and gloves with haptic feedback, the customer will be able to try out and \u2018experience\u2019 custom-made products before purchasing.\nRobots in the shop will provide assistance, advice, and will point out the way, leaving shop employees with more time to provide more specialist help.\nConsumers will be able to choose from millions of products online. Physical stores will, however, still provide an added value. They will have rediscovered themselves by focusing on, alongside experiences, special interests and highly specific market segments.\nThink, for instance, of racing bike shoes, vegan breakfast products, lighting on solar energy, and VR game consoles. More specific will mean more successful when it comes to customer experience in 2030.\nCX in 2030: The supply chain is transparent\nWhich cows produced my steaks, and where did they graze? Did my burger come from a cow, or is it plant-based, and if so, how can I be certain the ingredients are safe? Which grain types are used in my beer, and where were these harvested? What happens to my trainers when I return them when they are worn out? Consumers in 2030 will want ample details on origin, source, and supply chain design.\nManufacturers will also be providing lots of these details when it comes to supply chain and sourcing in 2030. Moreover, it will be an important competitive factor.\nSpreading false information will be futile as thanks to the blockchain, fraudsters will be exposed at an unprecedented speed. The same blockchain will also make the entire chain more transparent than ever. Because of this great supply of information, the number of returns will reduce significantly, thus saving costs.\n Transport and delivery: It *IS* your problem if the customer doesn\u2019t receive their order on time, in good condition\nAn immediate satisfaction of needs will have become even more important by 2030. Waiting for an order for several days will be unthinkable. Whatever we cannot take with us immediately from the 3D printer, will be delivered within at the most 24 hours during our own preferred time period. Many brands and shops will have switched to \u2018same day delivery\u2019, enabled by decentralised production possibilities and drone delivery.\nStaying home for a delivery will no longer be necessary. Via our smartphone, we can remotely grant access to people standing in front of the door, so they can deliver the items into the house. The successful pilot of Amazon in 2018 that uses this technology has already caught on worldwide. Thanks to camera monitoring, we are ensured that deliverers will not abuse the advantages of having access into the residence.\n \nThe ultimate guide to customer experience: Definition, strategy, examples\n Here's everything you need to know about customer experience. Find out what it takes to make your brand shine and win. \nThe most important factor for customer experience in 2030: Not technology, but people\nThe customer experience is all about people, and will remain so in 2030. The Be My Eyes app is a current example of how technology can help to fill in human needs. This app enables the sighted to look along on a blind person\u2019s smartphone camera by means of a videocall, so they can assist them with their daily lives. The technology behind this is perhaps not ground-breaking, but the application most certainly is.\nThose who wish to build a future-proof customer experience should realize that customers are people. Technology is a means to achieve this, and never an end in itself.\nShine in the moments that matter. Real-time customer engagement starts HERE.","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/10\/25\/customer-experience-in-2030-will-look-like-this\/#Article_Person","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/10\/25\/customer-experience-in-2030-will-look-like-this\/#Article_Person_ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Mark-d-150x150.jpg"},"name":"Mark de Bruijn","sameAs":"https:\/\/nl.linkedin.com\/in\/macdebruijn","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/mark-de-bruijn\/"},"dateModified":"2021-05-10T15:13:25+00:00","datePublished":"2018-10-25T10:00:00+00:00","description":"The customer experience more important than ever, and will remain as such. Meet the future: This is the face of customer experience in 2030.","headline":"Customer experience in 2030: This is how it looks","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/10\/25\/customer-experience-in-2030-will-look-like-this\/#Article_ImageObject","height":"630","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/thumbnail-a92b374f144f06bb698174e0f0e63f43-1200x630.jpeg","width":"1200"},"mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/10\/25\/customer-experience-in-2030-will-look-like-this\/","name":"Customer experience in 2030: This is how it looks","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/","additionalType":"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q1193236","description":"Relevant, timely information & analysis on commerce trends, both consumer-facing and B2B.","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1","height":"96","url":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1","width":"500"},"name":"The Future of Customer Engagement and Experience","sameAs":["https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/a-call-for-a-better-experience\/id1479742201","https:\/\/twitter.com\/FutureOfCEC","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/groups\/4844282","https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/feed\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/"},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/10\/25\/customer-experience-in-2030-will-look-like-this\/#Article"},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Organization","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1","height":"96","width":"500","@id":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1"},"name":"The Future of Customer Engagement and Experience","sameAs":["https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/a-call-for-a-better-experience\/id1479742201","https:\/\/twitter.com\/FutureOfCEC","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/groups\/4844282","https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/feed\/"],"additionalType":"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q1193236","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/","description":"Relevant, timely information & analysis on commerce trends, both consumer-facing and B2B.","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/"},{"@type":["Article"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/10\/25\/customer-experience-in-2030-will-look-like-this\/#Article","@context":{"@vocab":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","kg":"http:\/\/g.co\/kg"},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/10\/25\/customer-experience-in-2030-will-look-like-this\/","publisher":[{"@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/"}],"author":[{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/10\/25\/customer-experience-in-2030-will-look-like-this\/#Article_author_Person","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/10\/25\/customer-experience-in-2030-will-look-like-this\/#Article_author_Person_image_ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/cdn-bijap.nitrocdn.com\/AuMaQmessFRMSicXmZsEecJFLEquAyoT\/assets\/static\/optimized\/rev-b3d386d\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Mark-d-150x150.jpg"}],"sameAs":"https:\/\/nl.linkedin.com\/in\/macdebruijn","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/mark-de-bruijn\/\nhttps:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/mark-de-bruijn\/","name":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/mark-de-bruijn\/\nhttps:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/mark-de-bruijn\/"}],"subjectOf":[{"@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/10\/25\/customer-experience-in-2030-will-look-like-this\/#Article_subjectOf_FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/10\/25\/customer-experience-in-2030-will-look-like-this\/#subjectOf_FAQPage_mainEntity0","name":"Customer experience in 2030: The most important features","acceptedAnswer":[{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/10\/25\/customer-experience-in-2030-will-look-like-this\/#subjectOf_FAQPage_mainEntity0_acceptedAnswer_Answer","text":"Customer experience in 2030 will be comprised of several key areas: <\/strong>
  • Omnichannel will reign supreme, with customers demanding the ability to purchase from a brand, no matter the channel \u2013 further driving home the importance of seamless customer engagement.<\/li>
  • 3D will make brands pop out \u2013 from 3D printers<\/a> to 3D ads, dimensional is here to stay.<\/li>
  • Sustainability in business<\/a> and the circular economy will rise, due to consumer concerns about the environment and their demands that brands do their part.<\/li>
  • Services and subscriptions will be a requirement for businesses to grow.<\/li>
  • Emotional intelligence will become a core feature for brands<\/a>, from neuromarketing<\/a> to understanding customer needs, to Artificial Intelligence, expect EI to grow tremendously.<\/li>
  • Shop windows will evolve: Both digital and physical storefronts will become more personalized, and pull AI<\/a> into the results.<\/li>
  • Supply chains will need to be transparent and ethical<\/a>, as consumers will be more focused on where their items are sourced in an effort to support their desire to spend money with brands who exhibit purpose.<\/li>
  • Delivery must deliver: Don\u2019t think you can pass a customer off to a delivery company anymore \u2013 if something doesn\u2019t arrive as expected, it *IS* your problem.<\/li> E-shopping will be as normal in 2030 as a fried egg on a Sunday morning. This doesn\u2019t mean that physical stores will have lost their value<\/a>, but they will look very different than what we are used to in 2018, as this post is written. The traditional department stores will largely have been replaced by \u2018retail spaces\u2019 which will often be located outdoor.There are various reasons for this, such as increased construction costs and the need for much more flexibility than bricks can offer. The open air shops will not just focus on sales, they will mainly offer an experience. Moreover, the emphasis will be on the social aspect. And when it rains, the shop will quickly be covered using advanced technology.Consumers want to buy what they want, where they want, and when they want. The risks of keeping stock will have further increased in 2030. The answer? Industrial 3D printers produce \u2018on demand\u2019 products. TThese printers will not be located at industrial sites, but can simply be found in the shop. The customer stands around and watches, and immediately takes his fully \u2018customized\u2019 product home with him. <\/strong>Worries about the planet will strongly increase between 2018 and 2030 \u2013 and also amongst consumers, who will still almost exclusively opt for circular<\/a> products and services. This will lead to a huge upsurge in the amount of sharing concepts.Clothes, means of transportation, tools, living space: you name it \u2013 there will be a sharing or \u2018as-a-service\u2019 concept for it. Products that are individually purchased will be entirely and infinitely reusable at the end of their lifecycle. Manufacturers that have not explicitly presented themselves as sustainable over the past decades will surely fail.The increase in environmental and health consciousness will also have resulted in a revaluation for small-scale and local. Local crafts will be hugely valued. This will not only benefit local communities; the planet itself will also appreciate this change in behaviour. Logistics will become much easier and less burdensome. Thanks to extensive data and behavioural analysis, the offer will be strongly adapted to local preferences and habits.Nearly all products that you will be able to buy in 2018 will be available as a service in 2030. The traditional model of ownership will have shifted increasingly towards renting products and buying services in which the original product no longer matters.Take, for instance, a lawnmower. The object itself is of little value. Behind the product however lies a need: customers want to have a regularly manicured lawn. The rise of companies like Uber and Snappcar are an example of this development. Rather than owning a car, the transport from A to B is the focal point. Getting back to the lawnmower: Amazon already understood this development in 2015. Consumers back then could already rent goats<\/a> for manicuring the lawn.Meanwhile, subscriptions<\/a> will also become critical to brands, as simplicity and ease<\/a> are key factors to customer experience in 2030.According to Gartner, 80 percent of all customer contacts will take place via artificial intelligence by 2030. These AI systems will not only understand the customer\u2019s individual preferences, but will also recognise the customer\u2019s mood<\/a>. Depending on whether a customer is angry, happy or sad, the system will adapt to these emotions. AI systems recognise emotions by voice, wording, and facial expression, which is why brands use them in both physical stores and web shops.The technology can be valuable in all customer contact moments that take place via AI.An AI system that recognises emotions and anticipates them will seem more human, reinforcing that connection. Customers have the feeling that \u2018the system\u2019 thinks along with them, and they feel better understood.Emotion recognition not only reduces the risk of a dissatisfied customer completely turning his back on a brand, it also provides new possibilities for \u2018up-selling\u2019. A happy or satisfied customer is, after all, more likely to buy something else, whereas this sales technique will probably seem more pushy to an angry customer.Emotion recognition, however, does not eliminate the value and necessity of human contact with the customer. However advanced AI might be, it cannot replace human warmth and compassion. For some matters, people will always prefer dealing with a human. (Technology where possible, human where needed<\/em>.)The challenge in 2030 will be not go overboard in using technology, as effectively illustrated in the video below.