Today's largest and most successful retailers are competing not only with each other but also with Amazon and the Amazon Effect, competing fiercely for consumer attention and sales.

The result is a kind of arms race focused on customer experience practices and technologies.

From e-commerce platforms to clicklists, retailers of all shapes and sizes are investing heavily in providing seamless customer interactions and satisfying experiences.

It might be an extreme statement to say that B2B (business-to-business) companies ignore customer experience, but it's true that their efforts lag behind those of their B2C (business-to-consumer) counterparts.

B2B customers often have more complex, multi-step decision-making processes, but the decision makers are still human. And like all of us, they have been conditioned through their consumer experiences to expect seamless, fast transactions along with meaningful and beneficial interactions.

Whether they're buying a tub of ice cream, a new pair of golf clubs, or, as I'm discussing in this article, a new uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system, these buyer expectations are all the same. B2B companies that recognize these consumer trends as behavioral trends and adapt accordingly will gain a significant advantage in the market.

As a good example, Vertiv recently attracted attention in the ICT industry by introducing the industry's first Vertiv™ XR app that can provide consumer-grade interactive experiences to B2B customers.

■ Customer convenience is the catalyst for AR app development.

The Vertiv XR app allows IT managers, data center operators, and channel partners to visualize Vertiv data center solutions in place at a specific facility, much like a homeowner might use a virtual reality app to see how a new sofa or kitchen cabinet would look in their space.

The app guides users through product selection and placement, visualizing data center infrastructure equipment in locations of their choice, such as hallways or living rooms.

These virtual representations enable data center decision makers to plan more effectively and better understand the physical footprint of their facilities.

Additionally, the app allows users to explore and discover various Vertiv solutions whenever and wherever they want, and recommends complementary solutions to keep users engaged even after purchase and installation. You can also easily share your experiences on social media through the app.

This app is a first-of-its-kind tool for the data center industry, rivaling the best consumer AR apps and receiving rave reviews and positive feedback from the industry.

The app was named 'Best Digital Transformation Product or Service – Enterprise' at the Computing 2022 Technology Product Awards and received a five-star rating from the IT Channel as 'the best augmented reality app tested in 2022.'

The Vertiv XR app was developed as part of Vertiv's larger digitalization initiative focused on improving the collaboration experience between customers and channel partners and Vertiv.

Vertiv prioritizes its ongoing strategy of focusing on customers and creating exceptional customer value by providing best-in-class tools.

Companies like Vertiv that are pursuing extensive digitalization efforts focused on better serving customers and partners and developing and updating digital assets will see greater market opportunities in the future.
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※ Author: Martin Coulthard/Vertiv