How to measure omnichannel customer experience (OCX) – a research framework
Many of us talk about omnichannel and how it contributes to all the good stuff customers like – and ultimately ends in more profitability. But for most of us it’s probably a bit of an etherial, non-specific notion that’s not clearly defined, never mind clearly measured, right?
Well this paper, written by an esteemed cast of international Profs and available over on Science Direct, looks to formalise the whole process, defining what omnichannel customer experience is and creating a field-tested ‘comprehensive measurement instrument’ that measures customer satisfaction, loyalty, word of mouth, share of wallet and increased trust – all set in the world of retail (though no doubt with relevance in many other sectors).
The source article’s very science-y and, unless you’re used to reading academic papers, it’s pretty hard going (click the link below if you don’t believe me!). So a few prompts and some very strong words with my local LLM managed to wrestle the research pdf into a more digestible shape, and below is a much more layperson-friendly version that’ll keep all your mental faculties intact and help us quickly pick out the stuff we really want to know!
Advanced Level
For the rest of us, here’s an ELI10 sanity-saving version.
Perceived Omnichannel Customer Experience (OCX) – in plain-English
What this paper is trying to do
Companies say they offer an ‘omnichannel’ experience, but it’s been hard to measure what customers actually feel when they move between channels (website, app, store, delivery, returns, support).
This paper builds and tests a proper way to measure that overall experience.
What OCX means in simple terms
OCX is the customer’s overall judgement of how smooth and joined-up a retailer feels across channels.
It’s about whether the whole journey hangs together, not whether one channel is good on its own.
What OCX is linked to
The paper finds that better OCX is linked to outcomes retailers care about, such as:
- Satisfaction
- Loyalty
- Word of mouth (people recommending the retailer)
- Share of wallet (how much someone spends with you vs others)
- Trust in the retailer
What the researchers actually built
They created a survey-style measurement tool:
- A full version with 36 statements (4 statements for each of the 9 areas)
- A shorter version with 9 statements (1 per area) for quicker use
How they tested it
They didn’t just write a survey and hope for the best. They used multiple studies and different groups of respondents to check that:
- The nine areas really are separate from each other
- The measure works consistently
- It predicts real outcomes like satisfaction and loyalty
How it compares to older customer service measures
They compare their OCX measure against SERVQUAL (an older, widely used service-quality model).
Their conclusion is that SERVQUAL isn’t a good fit for omnichannel situations, and OCX does a better job of predicting key outcomes like satisfaction, loyalty, and word of mouth in this context.
What this is useful for in real life
If you’re a retailer, the main practical use is diagnosis.
Instead of vaguely saying ‘our omnichannel experience needs work’, you can measure which parts are dragging the overall experience down – delivery, returns, inconsistent pricing, weak support, and so on – then fix the right things.
The nine parts of the OCX experience
The paper says customers judge omnichannel shopping using these nine key areas. Succeed in all these and your OCX will be truly delivering for your brand:
1) Social communications
How the brand communicates and engages socially.
- Customer reviews across channels are accurate
- Customer reviews across channels make me feel confident to buy
- Online posts by other customers make me feel confident to buy
- Customer reviews across channels are trustworthy
2) Value
Whether the products and prices feel worth it.
- The retailer has a good selection of products across all channels
- The retailer offers competitively priced products across all channels
- The retailer offers good deals across all channels
- The retailer has a wide variety of products across all channels that interest me
3) Personalisation
Whether the experience feels tailored to the individual.
- The retailer makes personalised recommendations across all channels about what I should consider buying
- The adverts and promotions the retailer sends across all channels are tailored to my situation
- I believe the retailer’s channels are customised to my needs
- The retailer enables me to order products or services across all channels that are tailor-made for me
4) Customer service
How good help and support are across channels.
- The retailer provides courteous customer service across all channels
- The retailer provides helpful customer service across all channels
- The retailer has knowledgeable customer service staff across all channels to answer my questions
- The retailer’s customer service across all channels is prompt
5) Consistency of stock and price across channels
Whether availability and pricing match across channels.
- Product availability in physical stores matches what I see on the retailer’s online channels
- The retailer offers consistent discounts across all channels
- The retailer always has the same products across all channels
- The retailer always has the same prices across all channels
6) Information safety
Whether customers feel their information is safe.
- I trust the retailer to keep my personal information safe
- The retailer protects information about my shopping behaviour
- The retailer protects me against payment fraud across all channels
- I trust the retailer will not share my personal information with others
7) Delivery
How well delivery works.
- The retailer always sends out the items ordered
- The retailer always delivers orders when promised
- The retailer always delivers products in a good condition
- The retailer quickly delivers my orders
8) Returns
How easy returns are.
- The retailer allows me to return products easily
- The retailer allows me to exchange products easily
- The retailer offers flexible return options
- The retailer offers convenient return options
9) Loyalty programme
Whether loyalty benefits work well across channels.
- The retailer allows me to earn rewards quickly
- The retailer’s loyalty or reward programme is easy to use across all channels
- The retailer has an excellent loyalty or reward programme
- The retailer always allows me to earn and redeem rewards across all channels
