5 questions to...
Alessia Quarto

1. TODAY’S CONSUMERS MOVE SEAMLESSLY BETWEEN PHYSICAL STORES AND DIGITAL CHANNELS, FOLLOWING INCREASINGLY COMPLEX PURCHASING JOURNEYS. AT THE SAME TIME, THEY EXPECT EVERY EXPERIENCE TO FEEL PERSONAL AND CONSISTENT. IN A MARKET WHERE GOOD SERVICE IS NO LONGER ENOUGH, WHAT TRULY SETS A RETAILER APART IN THE RELATIONSHIP WITH ITS CUSTOMERS?

Today, customers expect more than efficient service. They want to be recognised, understood and engaged. They expect retailers to know their needs and preferences, and to use that insight to make every interaction more relevant.

This means moving beyond a purely transactional approach and building relationships based on a deeper understanding of the customer. The information available to retailers must become a practical tool for anticipating needs and delivering a more personalised experience. This is the principle at the heart of clienteling.

Clienteling puts this insight directly into the hands of Client Advisors, giving them the tools and information they need to tailor each conversation. In this way, every interaction becomes an opportunity to strengthen the relationship and create long-term value. With AI, the promise of 1:1 real-time personalization can finally be fulfilled.

3. HAVING MORE CUSTOMER DATA DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN UNDERSTANDING THE CUSTOMER BETTER. HOW CAN RETAILERS TURN THIS WEALTH OF INFORMATION INTO PRACTICAL INSIGHT THAT SUPPORTS BOTH CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS AND SALES?

The key is to make information accessible and actionable whenever needed. Data relating to customers, products, stock availability, orders and services cannot remain fragmented across separate systems. It needs to come together to provide a meaningful, up-to-date view of the customer relationship.

This is the approach we have taken with MarketSuite, Engineering’s software platform for the retail industry.

By bringing this information together in a single experience for Client Advisors, we enable them to understand the customer context more clearly, make more relevant recommendations and manage interactions proactively, using Artificial Intelligence. In this way, customer insight becomes a practical asset for both relationship building and sales.

5. HOW IS THE CLIENTELING MODEL EVOLVING, AND WHAT ROLE WILL IT PLAY IN AN INCREASINGLY INTEGRATED RETAIL ENVIRONMENT?

The next step is to move beyond the idea of clienteling as a standalone application and make it a native part of the wider retail experience. Clienteling, order management, inventory, promotions and the customer journey need to share data, business rules and processes within an increasingly integrated operating model.

The path is clear: an AI-based clienteling, embedded within the broader unified commerce model. Customer knowledge will no longer be tied to a single touchpoint or application but will be available and actionable throughout the entire relationship with the brand.