While online fashion retailers such as Boohoo are reporting double or triple figure sales growth, the high street is stagnating at 0% year-on-year growth. The way consumers shop is in a state of flux, and marketers must be prepared to change in order to keep up.
We recently asked 300 commerce marketers about the tactics they plan to use to better understand and cater to the customer’s needs. The common themes? Adding value to online marketing communications and improving relationships with existing customers.
VIP/loyalty programme
Today’s consumers have a global range of brands to choose from, so how do you compete? While budget brands are attracting consumers with low prices, often at the cost of product quality and customer service, engaging in a race to the bottom in terms of cost is not a viable strategy for the majority of brands, especially those with premium offerings.
A good alternate tactic to attract repeat business is a VIP/loyalty programme. Offers could include early access to new products, unique brand ambassador content or invitations to events, in addition to traditional product and service discounts. Rewarding customer loyalty and proving that you can provide a level of customer experience that’s above and beyond your competitors will become increasingly important for success in this competitive market.
Dynamic content
The use of dynamic content to personalise marketing messages will also become more prevalent. To date, creating this type of marketing message has been an extremely time-intensive process, often requiring specialist knowledge and help from IT. This level of investment forces many marketers to create content for the broadest possible receptive customer base.
But modern marketing software has simplified the dynamic content creation process, making it easier to effectively automate segmentation and workflows. With fewer resource requirements, visually impressive content that uses valuable customer data can be created quickly and easily for a more targeted outreach.
Post-purchase campaign
Rounding out the top three most popular tactics for the future is post-purchase messaging. For many commerce marketers, once a customer has made that first purchase, their work is done. Their belief is that influence for the rest of the customer journey comes down to purchasing experience and product satisfaction. But marketers are beginning to understand that, in reality, the first purchase is merely the start of an ongoing customer relationship with the brand. And a post-purchase campaign can help show customer appreciation and communicate the brand’s values. Providing valuable and relevant content, such as product care tips or how-to information, is also a great way to build trust with the customer. With a solid customer relationship, retailers then have the opportunity to suggest additional items, offer discounts and promote relevant products to encourage further brand engagement.
It’s clear that the focus is shifting away from merely bringing in new customers and toward really making the most of existing customers. Marketers are beginning to see the value in nurturing customer relationships and designing campaigns that speak to their needs and wants. Customer loyalty is becoming harder and harder to attain, but those long-term customer relationships are definitely worth the extra effort.
By Saima Alibhai, professional services practice manager at Bronto Software
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