Mobile is now a key part of our lives – according to the IAB, smartphone penetration in the UK is expected to reach 75 per cent with tablet penetration hitting 50 per cent this year. Smartphones and tablets have disrupted a lot of industries by creating new opportunities to interact with customers, and it is important for brands to realise and capitalise on the engagement opportunities that exist.
In this context, your users are expecting you to understand and use this new way of consuming and communicating – this shift in mind-set spans across groups of people, who are evolving in an always-changing environment, always connected and on the move. To fulfill their expectations, and improve your customer relationships, you have to shift the way you’re communicating with them. The benefit to the customer will be a more personalised approach that will make their lives easier, resulting in increased interaction for the brand– the potential benefits are clear and there are some best practice examples you can apply to your business to improve this engagement.
Reduce your ‘no show’ rate
Getting an appointment can be a key milestone in your customer relationship; however, turning an appointment request into an effective meeting is not always simple; people often forget their appointments if it’s not that important for them, or if it was done impulsively. The best way to avoid this is to put in place mobile reminders, through email, SMS and push notifications. It doesn’t matter if it’s for an appointment in the local bank branch, or for a pick-up or for a delivery, sending a reminder 2 days or a few hours before the appointment is a good way to reduce your “no show” rates.
Most mobile devices automatically detect dates in messages (email & SMS), so it’s important to integrate dates into your messages, to facilitate integration of appointments into the smartphone or tablet calendar and benefit from the reminders directly to the mobile device.
Adaptive couponing
Coupons are an effective way to acquire or reactivate your customers; if you are already sending to your customers’ barcodes to get a discount or pick-up an order, think about adapting your coupons to the context to optimise your redemption rate.
You can use device detection and adaptive content to optimise your coupon delivery: display a printable barcode for desktops or laptops, even some tablets users, so that they will be able to print the barcode at home or at the office before heading to your store or your branch.
On the other hand, use a mobile barcode for smartphone users: if they are on the move, there’s little chance that they will connect to a printer to print your barcode. Using a barcode that they can display on the screen to be scanned directly will be much better for your conversion rate – consider also integrating this barcode into Passbook or Google wallet, for an even more convenient usage
Virtual waiting lists
Does your business activity involve waiting lists, for example to pick-up an order or meet a salesperson?
If so, then keep your users’ level of engagement and maximise their time of presence into your premises by putting in place a virtual waiting list through your mobile application, by allowing users to be notified through SMS or push notifications when their turn has come.
You will provide them more time to check the rest of your store – and potentially buy more – without the stress of losing their place in the queue or anxiously waiting for the display to move to number 325.
When it comes to adapting your communication to a mobile environment, the opportunities certainly outweigh the challenges. Mobile devices have lowered the level of effort accepted by users in their relationship with a brand and you need to simplify your users’ life to improve the level of interaction. By using simple methods, thinking as a consumer and considering mobile as a context and not as a channel, you will create a strong and efficient bond with your users, and improve your customer relationships.
By Simon Martin, Managing Director, Cross Channel Marketing at Experian.
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