Are You Simply Acquiring Customers or Are You Building Relationships?

I recently came across this article and it is a wake-up call to anyone in online retail in Australia. http://theconversation.com/australian-retailers-online-late-to-the-party-and-much-to-do-20144# Australians have taken to purchasing online in a big way but they spend more with overseas sites than they do with local sites. Why? Sure, a high Austrlian dollar can make overseas purchases cheaper and there is greater variety when the world is one big market but maybe it also has something to do with the customer experience (and when I say maybe I mean definitely!). "The key to competing successfully online, in a market where matching the lowest price is impossible, is to offer innovative services and to build loyalty and profitable relationships with customers." In part this is about fostering 1 to 1 relationships online but it is also about the end to end customer experience. Do your offline systems and processes deliver (and manage returns!) in the way that you personally expect when you purchase online? Food for thought.