Data has long been mooted as the key to customer loyalty, but Currys intends a personal and personalised strategy to set it apart from its competitors.

Five years ago, if you walked into Currys PC World to buy a television or laptop, you’d have a chat with a colleague and head back out with your product – perhaps never to be seen again until your next big tech purchase, which could be years down the line.

Crucially, when you returned, it would probably be as a total stranger to the retailer – which is exactly what Currys is trying to change.

Using data and leveraging the expertise of colleagues, along with credit and service options, Currys aims to keep abreast of each of its customers as individuals to extract lifetime value.

“We’ve gone from selling thousands of boxes to perfect strangers to having millions of customers who we know very well, and we can use that knowledge to help them and help us,” said Currys boss Alex Baldock at the retailer’s capital markets day last week.

“With technology now playing a bigger role in consumers’ lives – 20% more is spent on it per household than two years ago – expert advice is more important than ever”

Currys, which rebranded earlier this year to bring together its Dixons Carphone, Currys PC World and Team Knowhow brands under one fascia, has been on a transformational journey over the past few years to leverage the best of on- and offline in a bid to achieve a total view of the customer.

Electricals are a confusing sector for many consumers and with technology now playing a bigger role in their lives – 20% more is spent on it per household than two years ago – expert advice is more important than ever.

That’s where Currys colleagues come in; the retailer says they have been “levelling up” with new tools, technology and training to give customer conversations that personal touch.

“In a business like ours, it’s very difficult for the experience of the customer to exceed that of the colleagues, so we unapologetically place a great deal of emphasis on the capability and engagement of our colleagues,” Baldock says.

“That translates into the shopping experience and we can build on it to create customers for life.

“We’re turning a transactional relationship into one that is nurtured through services and credit, which is more valuable for all concerned.”

Colleagues are Currys’ best and biggest asset, which the retailer is elevating through its newly implemented colleague hub where they can earn rewards and view a customer’s purchase history with ease.

There is also a new tool for shopfloor staff to better understand customers’ needs fuelled by a wealth of consumer data. With a few key questions, colleagues can narrow down choices from hundreds of options to just a handful with a few taps on the screen.

Personalised experiences have been an important focus for many retailers and with additional services like ShopLive both online and offline customers can get the same level of service.

The figures for ShopLive speak for themselves. Customers using the video service are four times more likely to convert, twice as likely to add on insurance and other services, and have an average order value 40% higher than a standard online shop.

The 24/7 service, while a little gimmicky, has even benefited from some customers shopping in the middle of the night according to Baldock. Large-screen televisions are a popular midnight purchase.

“Customers for life is a key focus for Currys now, so there is massive potential if they can keep them coming back for more and build up a base of contactable customers”

Additional services such as tech protection or credit options also help to keep Currys customers “for life”. There is a range of options available from delayed payments to instalments and those customers who use them are 70% more likely to shop with the retailer again in future.

Customers for life is a key focus for Currys now – 80% of UK households shop with the retailer and give around 30% share of their wallet – so there is massive potential if they can keep them coming back for more and build up a base of contactable customers or “friends”.

One new way of doing this is via the Currys Perks programme, which launched four weeks ago, while the retailer’s Nordics arm is soaring with more than half of households part of its loyalty scheme in that region.

Members are able to access discounts and monthly prize draws. While it lacks a points scheme, its attraction lies in being a more low-maintenance membership that will gather yet more customer data to give a more rounded view of what each individual wants.

With a wealth of options backed by a wealth of data, Currys is proving that a customer is for life, not just for Black Friday.

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