Hirt & Carter: The future of retail is unified

“The customer is always right” – an ageless adage that has guided businesses for generations. But in the age of digital transformation, ‘right’ has taken on a whole new meaning.

Today’s consumers demand more than just quality products and competitive prices. They expect personalized experiences, engaging interactions, and seamless journeys across all channels. Retailers must now become storytellers, curators, and personal shoppers, guiding consumers on a journey that transcends the transactional and delivers a truly memorable experience.

For Hirt & Carter, a South African retail solutions provider with over 60 years of experience, this evolution is not just a trend to watch—it is the core of their business. Hirt & Carter uses Infobip’s technology to grow and empower the brands they work with and provides the data and knowledge to inform future strategies for purpose and growth.

To gain a deeper understanding of their approach and insights in the future of retail, we sat down with Chantal Donnelly, their General Manager of Digital Solutions.

Studies show that 86% of buyers are willing to pay more for a great customer experience. This statistic alone highlights the incredible value consumers place on positive interactions with businesses. But here lies the challenge: 92% are willing to abandon a company after just two or three negative interactions. The pressure is on retailers to deliver exceptional experiences at every touchpoint, from the initial browsing experience to post-purchase support.

The good news is that even though the stakes are high, the opportunities have never been greater. By creating exceptional experiences, retailers can not only retain existing customers but also attract new ones, driving growth and fostering long-term loyalty.

But what does prioritizing customer experience actually entail?

According to our Generational trends report, 67,7% of all generations expect companies to understand their needs and expectations, yet only 49% of U.S. consumers say companies provide a good customer experience. This disconnect highlights the urgent need for retailers to use data effectively to create tailored experiences that resonate with individual customers.

Here’s how retailers can take personalization to the next level:

Go beyond basic demographics. Collect data on purchase history, browsing behavior, preferences, and even customer feedback to create a complete view of each individual. Integrate data from various touchpoints – online, in-store, mobile app, and social media – to build a unified customer profile.

Use AI-powered recommendations to suggest products that align with individual customer interests and purchase history. This can be applied across various channels, from product pages and email campaigns to personalized displays in physical stores. Think about how streaming services suggest movies or music you might like. AI can do the same for retail, making shopping more enjoyable and efficient for customers.

Brands are investing heavily in retail partnerships, expecting to use their reach and customer base. However, brands are not just looking for exposure – they want tangible returns on their ad spend.

This necessitates a shift from vanity metrics to a data-driven approach that focuses on proving the value of these partnerships.

The challenge here lies not just in collecting data but in unifying it, analyzing it, and extracting actionable insights that can inform personalized experiences.

Data is often scattered across disparate systems—eCommerce platforms, point-of-sale systems, CRM databases, social media channels, and more—which creates a significant obstacle for retailers striving to understand the complete customer journey.

As Donnelly highlights, “Also the data, having data available to us to be able to serve the end consumer better.”

To overcome this challenge, retailers need to:

Ensuring the timely delivery of relevant and personalized content across various channels can be complex.

With customers wanting instant answers and personalized service, retailers have to hit the mark with the right content, timing, and channel.

How to achieve this?

This evolution of retail continues with the rise of innovative technologies that are reshaping customer experience. Retailers now have an incredible opportunity to transform customer experience with technologies like voice commerce and unified commerce, which are transforming the way brands interact with their customers and redefining the very essence of the shopping journey.

Voice assistants and voice search are rapidly becoming a crucial part of our everyday reality, and retail is no exception.

Voice commerce streamlines the shopping experience, allowing customers to browse, compare, and purchase products using natural language, just as they would in a conversation with a store assistant. This technology has the potential to make shopping more accessible and convenient, particularly for those with disabilities or limited mobility.

In an omnichannel world, where customers interact with brands across multiple touchpoints, a fragmented experience is simply unacceptable.

Unified commerce breaks down the silos between online and offline channels, creating a single, cohesive ecosystem where customer data, inventory, and order management are seamlessly integrated.

By adopting a unified commerce approach, retailers can:

By partnering with Infobip, a conversational customer experience platform, Hirt & Carter empowers retailers to deliver exceptional customer experiences that drive loyalty and growth.

This combination enables retailers to:

The journey towards unified retail requires collaboration and a shared vision for the future. Hirt & Carter and Infobip are committed to empowering retailers with the tools and expertise they need to succeed in this dynamic landscape.