Customer expectations are at an all-time high. Rapid advances in technology and the digital revolution have transformed the merchant/customer dynamic and it’s now the customer that holds all the cards. The modern consumer of today demands:
- Compelling and engaging shoppable experiences
- Personalised recommendations and offers
- Relevant and curated communication and content
- Easy payments in their preferred format.
What’s clear is that a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all approach to customers will be detrimental to your business goals.
Just imagine…
It’s morning. You take the first swig of coffee and open your email. First up, a message from a company you bought some flip flops from last year.
They’re advertising a child’s snorkeling mask. But…
a) you’re not a kid
b) you don’t have kids
c) you’re not a fan of diving
Anyway, you figure you’ll click through to their store to see what’s there. You arrive at a cluttered and busy homepage filled with random products and with the wrong currency displayed. So you quickly exit the browser and get on with your day. Oh, and for good measure, you go back to the email and unsubscribe because, well, what’s the point of keeping in touch with that company?
After a long, productive day, you put your feet up and do a last check of your emails before hitting the sack. A message from a skincare brand you’ve purchased from before. They’re offering you discount codes on products you bought earlier this year. Bingo! You visit the store and are greeted by a curated landing page, matching your tastes, gender, and age. You choose a couple of items and go to pay—at which point you are notified of some useful complementary products which can be added to your basket for a discount. Double Bingo! Then, you check out using your preferred payment method (which doesn’t redirect to some unknown page). Done. Minutes later, you receive an email to confirm the purchase. But the email also includes some useful content on how to use the product you’ve just bought. It also shows a number of newly arrived products which are right up your street.
The difference is undeniable.
The first example has left you feeling disgruntled and deflated, with a sour taste in your mouth. The other experience has empowered, engaged and delighted at every turn—turning you into a loyal and repeat customer in the process.
In today’s world, consumers expect (read: demand) personalised purchasing experiences. Indeed, a whopping 78.6 % of consumers said they are only likely to engage with a brand’s offers if those promotions are directly tied to previous interactions. Elsewhere, an Experian study found that personalised emails generate six times higher transaction rates and revenue per email than their non-personalised counterparts. And, tellingly, Segment found that 71% of consumers express frustration when their shopping experience is impersonal.
Whichever way you slice it, personalised customer experiences are becoming the key differentiator for brands the world over. And we at Vaimo help businesses to deliver best-in-class customer experiences for brand, retail and manufacturer clients around the world. So get in touch and start your journey to personalisation proficiency!
PS! We are hosting a personalisation event with Dixa, dotdigital, Raport & Valitor in Copenhagen on 10th April. Join us as we dive into the crucial subject of personalisation and customer experience! Register your interest here.