Online trade has reached unprecedented efficiency. The courses are optimized, the recommendations are relevant, and the conversion rates are scrutinized to the decimal. However, this technical performance hides an increasing flaw: The purchasing experience has become boring, mechanical, and devoid of emotion.
A rationalized course, but without relief
According to a study conducted by Criteo with 7,000 consumers worldwide, 76 % judge the online purchase route little exciting. Hyper-personalization and recommendation engines show priority what the user is supposed to want. The discovery, the unexpected, the surprise effect disappeared. Result : 36 % say it is difficult to come across an unexpected or inspiring product.
The paradox is clear. E-commerce promises personalization, but Book a repetitive experience. What was formerly discovered becomes a series of utility actions. Even more worrying: Almost a third of respondents now consider online purchases as a chore.
The emotional deficit of online brands
The other major study of the study concerns Relationship between consumers and brands in the digital environment. If expectations remain strong in terms of efficiency – 63 % await a quick and friction course – They are no longer enough to feed a lasting attachment.
Only 37 % Consumers say they feel connected to a brand when sailing on its own site. This proportion drops to 23 % When it comes to an influencer site, despite the omnipresence of the latter in activation strategies. Far from anchoring the brand, the audience relays dilute it.
On the other hand, some traditional levers retain their effectiveness:
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- 74 % believe that positive opinions strengthen their link to a brand.
- 76 % Value the quality of customer service or human relationship in their purchasing experience.
Digital has not erased the fundamentals. He simply neglected them.
The illusion of sufficient data
The industry has massive data volumes. But data alone does not produce emotion. Algorithmic relevance has no soul. She doesn’t tell anything. She does not create tension or surprise.
Criteo’s study reveals that 43 % of consumers want an experience both “relevant and engaging”. This distinction is crucial: relevance is well under control. The commitment, on the other hand, remains a blind spot. Yet, almost one in two consumer now understands that an increased data sharing can improve the experiencea sign of new maturity. The market is ready. He waits for being surprised.
Three levers to re -enchant the customer journey
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- Reintroduce discovery
The interface must stop being linear. Experience must allow exploration, unexpected, the routing proposal, which amuses or intrigue. Leave room for controlled wandering, the association of ideas, the hybridization of uses.
- Create interactive and emotional formats
The short video, the subtle animation, the sensory design are all under-exploited levers. At a time when users spend hours on fun platforms, e-commerce remains frozen. Emotion is a visual, sound, contextual construction.
- Use AI at the service of experience, not just performance
A well-calibrated conversational engine, a logic of micro-series or an intelligent gamification system can create differentiating experiences. AI should no longer be limited to the product recommendation. It can generate an individualized form of narration.
- Reintroduce discovery
Replace the customer experience at the center
Online trade has been optimized to convert, not to seduce. However, loyalty is not built on usefulness alone. It arises from a striking, consistent, and memorable experience. Rewarding the customer experience does not fall under superficial emotional marketing, but of a strategic repositioning.
It is not a question of adding content, but of design Relation and exploration systems up to today’s expectations. E-commerce can no longer be content to be fast. He must become alive again.
