Innovation, personalisation, resilience: Keys to accelerating in the novel economy – Salesforce Australia & NZ Blog

“Our consumers are passionate,” said Super Retail Group’s GM omni retail Brian Townshend, discussing that those clients visit a physical store knowing their enthusiasm will be met with understanding and suggestions.

The group observed a shift with COVID however– consumers were looking into more online prior to fast, low-contact purchases in-store.

SRG reacted rapidly– offering that info online, and releasing totally free, contactless click and gather.

“When COVID started, a great deal of activities we hit pause on,” Townshend described. “We evaluated the best things to do for our customers and for the security of our employees.”

When they decided contact-free click and gather was the goal, speed came from no siloes, no hierarchy and compromising on scope– and a minimum feasible product introduced within days.

“I ‘d love to inform you the number of individuals used [click and collect], and how it performed!” Townshend stated. “But compromising on scope was absolutely important for our speed.”

The crucial lesson for Townshend through the crisis has been the importance of offering all the energy to the ideas and initiatives that are most essential– or as he says: you need to prune your rose bush regularly and ruthlessly.

SRG Chief Method and Client Officer Katie McNamara called this ‘callous prioritisation’ in a later Q&A with Brian Solis.

“Our role as the officer group was to shepherd the business,” she described. “You can’t do whatever in a constrained environment.”

The key to those priorities– voice of the customer (VOC).

“We have actually constantly been a VOC-focused company. But that doesn’t mean anything unless you actually use that info,” McNamara said.

“It’s extremely easy in a corporate environment to get carried away and forget the consumer in all your decisions.”

Go into, Scout.