The brand to customer relationship has changed dramatically in recent years, with the power shifting towards the consumer in a seemingly irreversible trend. The proliferation of both social media and mobile devices has provided a flood of information that consumers need when and where they want it. In an increasingly competitive market, marketers must now look to engage consumers on their terms.
The ever-expanding pool of media and channels available to customers continues to challenge marketers however, as they look to engage consumers. There’s no escaping the fact that this is the new omni-channel consumer reality – a consumer that is empowered, informed and connected. To be successful, marketers will need to embrace the challenge of engaging their customers across channels with interactions, content and experiences that put the consumer at the centre of their brand.
The blurred lines of omni-channel
This relatively sudden shift in consumer behaviour is a challenge, but marketers only need to look at the overwhelming evidence to realise that the era of the omni-channel consumer is firmly upon us and the time for action is now. According to eMarketer, half of the UK population will use a tablet this year and other sources expect UK smartphone penetration to exceed 80 per cent by 2017. Even more of the UK population has access to a PC or laptop with Internet access and the vast majority of these digital consumers are conducting digital transactions.
The boundaries between physical and virtual commerce are also becoming increasingly blurred with the growing trends of webrooming and showrooming. Retailers have long feared the idea of ‘showrooming’ – the journey of a customer heading into a store to see a physical product and try it out but making the final purchase online – because it creates a disjointed and un-attributable customer journey. However, the relatively new concept of ‘webrooming’ – where shoppers research items online and then purchase in store – is also on the rise.
These trends show how technology and lifestyle changes have seen consumers become more empowered and less likely to conform to typical shopping habits. Customers are interacting with brands via a variety of channels – online, social, in-store, etc. – at various points in the purchasing journey and jumping between channels at will.
True consumer engagement
As consumers jump between channels, they are evaluating a brand at every interaction and will have no qualms about moving away if a brand does not meet their needs at every step. As a result, marketers need to put the demands of the omni-channel consumer at the centre of their proposition and follow five key best practices from the point-of-view of the consumer:
Recognise me – marketers must demonstrate that they know the consumer and their needs at every touch-point
Treat me as an individual – personalised content, messaging and offers are a must have
Make it easy – a seamless cross-channel brand experience is required by the omni-channel consumer
Anticipate my needs – marketers must be helpful and informative along the consumer journey, facilitating convenience
Give me a voice – marketers must value the opinion of consumers and give them tools to share them
Marketers who are slow to recognise this paradigm shift will not be ready to meet the demands of the omni-channel consumer and may face disappointed customer who won’t come back – the flipside to the goal of more business, loyalty and even brand advocacy.
Data and understanding
While every organisation will have a different roadmap to success, the objectives are universal. In order to deliver the seamless cross-channel interactions that the omni-channel consumer demands, marketers need a deep understanding of the customer’s behaviours, motivations and channel preferences when engaging with a brand. A consistent and robust customer definition must be built and shared across the organisation and there are three foundational elements that marketers must put in place to ensure success.
The first step is to develop high-definition customer profiles that inform every customer interaction. These high-definition profiles should marry detailed customer data and descriptive third party data to provide a complete picture of the customer. Secondly, marketers need to create engaging and personalised content, messaging and offers, based on these high-definition profiles. Obviously marketers cannot design unique content and messaging for each customer, but it should feel like they did. Finally, marketers should look to build deeper relationships through integrated cross-channel programmes – identify the customer they wish to engage with, define the customer journey and ultimately build a relationship.
Re-orientating to adapt in the era of the omni-channel consumer is hard work for a brand, but marketers who want to successfully position their business for the future must keep the customer at the core of their marketing strategy – those who do will reap the rewards of true omni-channel customer engagement.
By Nigel Wilson, Managing Director, Consumer Insights at Experian Marketing Services.
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