There’s a Customer Experience Revolution Underway Across Sectors in India

“Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come.” – Victor Hugo

Around the globe, organisations are realising the benefits of improving their customer experience (CX). Buoyed by an array of digital technologies, business leaders are talking about the massive “opportunity” presented by CX initiatives – along with the “challenges” of delivering an exceptional experience. 

Be it a retail store or a bank or a hospital, consumers demand “ultra-fast” services with a minimum number of attempts or clicks or taps. A recent McKinsey report found that CX implementation can improve sales by 7% and profits by 1-2%.

In the Indian market, there is an ongoing CX revolution across all industry sectors. A 2023 study found that 87% of Indian companies are confident of improving CX despite the global recession. 82% of the surveyed companies reported the use of AI and automation technologies to improve customer engagement in 2022. 

Anil Chawla of Verint India says, “Customer readiness (in Indian companies) is at par or even better than their global counterparts.” He adds, “CX readiness is reflective of the strategic investments made in areas like AI and automation in the last couple of years.” 

What Is Driving the CX Revolution in India?

With the proliferation of mobile phones across urban and rural India, digital channels have been able to bring about a change in how customers engage with brands. In 2023, India is at the forefront of a digital-driven customer experience. Notably, the country’s “digitally savvy” population is contributing to its leading position in the digital CX landscape.

EY reports that India’s consumer digital economy market will be worth around $800 billion in 2030 – a 10X increase from 2020. As Internet penetration continues to increase, Indian consumers expect support across all touchpoints. This includes touchpoints like social media platforms, brand experience centres, eCommerce shops, and more.

Additionally, India ranks third on the list of countries with technology startups – with over 1,300 companies added in 2022. This has made the country the “favourite” destination for delivering digital customer experience. Some of the favourable factors driving the digital CX revolution in India include:

• Large-scale adoption of smartphones
• The largest growth in broadband Internet connectivity
• Familiarity with social media marketing
• Dominance in the customer service industry
• Growing reliance on mobility solutions

To stay competitive, Indian businesses must improve the physical and digital areas of customer experience. Harsha Razdan of KPMG India believes that going forward, “customer experience will need to be available across multiple channels and will have to be relational.” He adds that “consumers are going to be the biggest advocates for companies.”

These factors will drive the next wave of innovation in the CX space. To that end, here are the latest CX innovations and how they are making a difference in the Indian market.

1. Brand Experience Centres

Among the latest global trends, brand experience centres are gaining popularity across industry verticals. Brands like Samsung, Porsche, and Starbucks have been at the forefront of this. In the Indian landscape, Amway India was among the first brands to launch its digitally-enabled brand experience outlet in Bengaluru in 2018. The centre elevates CX using technologies and approaches like Augmented Reality and Gamification.

Similarly, located in Gurugram, Kia’s BEAT 360 brand experience centre offers an immersive experience for its customers. Spread across 5,280 square feet of real estate, BEAT 360 showcases its latest brand of vehicles and houses a Surround Media and Mixed Reality zone.

2. Digital Signage

Screen Influence reports that digital signage is 47.7% effective at improving brand awareness. This is primarily because 90% of information transmitted to the human brain is visual. Compared to traditional advertising, digital signage presents brands in a variety of vibrant colours and motions.

With the growing popularity of Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising in India, the digital signage industry is set to grow exponentially in the country going forward. Digital signage kiosks are gaining popularity in shopping malls, retail outlets, hospitals, and hotels. They provide a richer customer experience and nurture deeper customer engagement via targeted content.

3. Digital Wayfinding

Digital wayfinding solutions are effective for customers when they’re navigating an establishment and searching for a particular product or service. Digital kiosks (along with wayfinding apps) enable consumers to know their current location in relation to a retail store or place of interest. According to recent research, 20% of global companies (with over 500 employees) have been planning to or have deployed wayfinding technology.

In India, digital wayfinding kiosks are commonly found in hospitals, shopping malls, universities, and airports. 

4. Public Address Systems

Designed for retail spaces, a public address system can convey marketing messages or use music to capture customer interest. These innovative systems are available in multiple types, including ceiling speakers, wall-mounted speakers, outdoor speakers, and media players.

Besides effective marketing, public address systems are beneficial during emergencies to broadcast an urgent message to the entire facility. They are also useful in traffic management. For instance, the Bhubaneshwar Smart City authorities deployed a public address system for smart traffic management. 

Conclusion

Globally, customer experience is becoming more personalised and experiential. Brands that can provide an immersive CX can differentiate themselves from their closest industry competitors. 

At Resurgent, our audiovideo (AV) solutions are specifically designed to improve the brand experience and elevate CX. Our AV solution portfolio comprises brand experience centres, digital signages, digital wayfinding solutions, and much more.

Want to be part of the customer experience revolution in India? Let us help. Book a free consultation today.