New year, new ways to give your user a better shopping experience! For 2019, marketers will need to increase efforts at data consolidation to allow truly effective multi-channel strategies.
According to specialists, consumer expectations keep on growing, and brands are scrambling to understand how to deepen brand-to-consumer engagement.
Consumers continuously evolve. Grow with them!
Recent data from a global study shows a third of consumers expect brands to anticipate their needs before they arise, and a whopping 70% of global consumers are annoyed when every company correspondence is about making a sale.
Also, 75% of consumers are more likely to buy from a retailer that recognizes them by name, recommends options based on past purchases, or knows their purchase history.
More than ever, consumers expect brands to understand them and treat engagements as evidence that they are committed to knowing them better as individuals. Whether it is done by recommended products, engagement channel preferences, more relevant content or better promotions, brands will enjoy benefits from going the extra mile.
Data-driven marketing strategies, a consistent reality
According to Forrester data-driven marketing strategies are the new standard. B2C marketers are collaborating with CRM teams to optimize customer relationships. The industry is seeing more proof that data-led strategies are working, but that doesn’t come without its challenges.
Many marketers find critical data is spread widely across various platforms. They need to increase efforts at data consolidation to allow truly effective multi-channel strategies.
Look at data as an opportunity by working backward from a goal to determine which data sets are meaningful. Intentional, focused data collection, consolidation, and output are possible when marketers are working to uncover customer trends and opportunities.
Experience is everything
Specialists know how critical it is to improve relationship marketing, with 62 percent of marketers noting it is one of the most important functions of their team this year. Of course, communication and engagement is a big part of that, with two-thirds saying their top marketing automation goal for 2019 is to speak to their customers in a more relevant way.
The same sentiment is echoed by an Adobe report: 33 percent of retailers consider targeting and personalization among their top three tactical priorities for the year ahead, higher than for any other marketing tactic.
So how does a brand build both the communication channels and experience they seek? Here are a few things to consider:
Ensure sales and customer service teams are properly aligned! Nothing irritates a person more than being solicited to buy a product they’ve already purchased. There are many opportunities for customer feedback and service requests to inform which marketing strategies are working or not. Be sure your customer service department is a part of marketing and campaign conversations, they’ll have real-time insights that are worth hearing.
Lead with your values! There is enormous value in connecting via multiple channels with your customers and learning more about them through data, but brands that don’t honor consumer preferences ultimately fail because their values are being compromised in favor of potential sales. And, let’s face it, if you don’t respect things like opt-out requests or address poor consumer experiences, customers will run to your competitors.