Tom Champion says, “In the lead-up to Mount Vesuvius’ catastrophic eruption — as foreshocks became more frequent and the air grew tainted — the citizens of Pompeii gossiped about a celestial force set to punish them for their sins. Around 2,000 years later, and there’s the same apocalyptic mood around Amazon’s looming impact on retail in Australia.

But while Amazon’s eventual launch will certainly disrupt incumbents, don’t overlook the impact of another silent assassin: Kmart.

Kmart has been gracefully reinventing itself while its peers are getting squeezed out of the picture. Last year, Kmart achieved a market-leading 14% increase in revenue while also achieving the top increase nationwide in its Customer Experience Index (CX Index™) score.

This is no coincidence. Forrester has confirmed the link between customer experience improvement and revenue growth. It leads to customers who spend more, recommend you to others more, and stick with you. But what is really surprising is the hypnotic way Kmart achieved this.

Retailers typically pursue attention-grabbing approaches to transformation by investing in “retail theatre” — digital kiosks, Giftoriums with personalized Nutella jar stations, location-based beacons, iPad-wielding store assistants. These make for memorable experiences, but do they really drive customer loyalty?”.

Forget Amazon — Kmart Has Already Disrupted Australian Retail

Forrester

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