Hi Nicolás, tell us about yourself and your background.
I am a consultant on Behavior & Innovation. I have a Master’s degree in Anthropology, another Master’s degree in Marketing, and a B.A. in Advertising. I am a professor at international business schools and an academic researcher.
Now, I have just released my first book, “EtnoMarketing: Cultura come estrategia,” with a British editorial.
Meanwhile, I am the lead of EtnoMarketing, social creativity agency. We have managed international and regional projects of marketing consultancy.
How did you first start working in the CX space?
My relation with the CX world started at final of my career, In different projects. First of all was like a student, forming a group called CINCO (Circle of Communication Research’s, in Spanish). Our main experience was with the Major of Lima, Municipalidad Metropolitana de Lima. The government wanted to improve and change the architecture and display of Lima’s central town.
We had to study citizens’ perceptions of the colonial and republican squares and sociocultural insights of identity and belonging. In addition, information to engage the population with a new town design in an experiential way, not more in residential use. By the final, the Governance launched a campaign to release the new changes, that still until now.
Now, we are using a lot of technological tools to manage Customer needs.
What are some of the common misunderstandings related to customer experience?
It is typical to hear about the importance of the consumers for the companies but is not evidence that is real in ordinary practice. For that, customer experience is a continue procedure and management style; not only a statement. For this, a lot of professional thinks that Customer Experience has not technical ways of science behind.
Have you seen any interesting new trends in eCommerce this year?
Yeah! In our countries, in Latin America, personal interaction at the marketplace is so important. For our culture, it is most important to enjoy the experience of interchange.
But, retail companies have implemented new tactics to made thee buy a better experience but not in substitution of presence shopping. There are some “distribution points” in localities where they are not present. For instance, at the beach or the countryside. First, the customer has to select and buy using the internet. And the product will be delivered in local sub warehouses. Or get there to select products to be trained by specialized assistance, prepared for that.
eCommerce boomed in 2020, and consumers started leaving more product reviews online. How can we make the most out of this momentum?
The way to make the most out of this momentum is working inbuilt a blended experience of shopping and client service. The consumer could be in a shopping store but connected all the time to social networks. Or, in the opposite, hold on the digital world but relocated for pandemics.
And our brands have to manage in different ways the presential or digital experience, but complementary
What are some CX companies/solutions you’re keeping your eyes on right now?
For our consultancy job, we are in contact with many providers of solutions to get consumer insights. But these technology partners need, of our agency EtnoMarketing, the comprehension of the behaviour, to interpret the “Why Reason” of behave.
We are building together artificial intelligence of markets, in a human way.
On other hand, Ideo or System 1, around the world, every time will be our reference.
So many things changed in 2020. While some things are going to return to “normal,” what are new trends and habits you think will stay with us in the long term?
We have to understand that we live in a new era. We are not coming back to 2019, we are facing a new reality. People are in the middle of recover our outside experience, but with electronic shortcuts.
For instance, the need to enjoy the outside to have some routines (meet, have a lunch, sports) or trip to the countryside, is part of our recovered lessons of pandemic. But, never more, disconnected of the virtual life.
Do you believe focus groups are still relevant in the era of eCommerce? Why?
No. Focus Group were designed at 60′ for manage a simulation of a conversation with consumers. But, in essence, it parts of a trick that is the “hided observer”. This trick can’t be supported or believed at the actual moment, because of are not successful in maintaining the “surprise factor”.
Now, we need to be transparent with our customers. There are not “guinea pigs” anymore. Customers are part of our value proposal and partners to build new possibilities for our brands and companies.
Last but not least, what is your favorite CX metric?
We believe and create “consumptions tribes”. Is our highly offer to our clients, and we create a particular methodology (and a future book of that).
Fort that, we start with a simple question to customers “How likely is it that you would recommend our product'”. It is provided by the net promoter score (NPS®). This allow us to know how loyal the customers, and the intention of recommend y in future. But we are trying to get beyond customer loyalty, creating a brand Community that defend and evangelize about our client’s brands. We are work on it.
