Don’t silo the customer experience: 3 tips for using digital engagement tools

From mobile phones to e-commerce sites and even interactive streaming ads, much of the retail landscape has moved to the digital world. Now contacts with consumers can take place anytime and anywhere.

This new realm of opportunity has enabled retailers to reach audiences and engage with customers in innovative ways. However, as the retail industry rushes to implement the latest digital engagement tools, it can be easy to lose sight of the entire customer experience. While shoppers enjoy significant savings, not everyone wants to be harassed by push notifications or emails, for example.

The art of engaging with today’s digital customer is to provide them with a personalized and seamless experience that enriches their shopping journey, whether online, in-store or, most often, a combination of both. So much attention has been paid to e-commerce and digital engagement that the traditional in-store experience can sometimes be overlooked. However, it is still just as important for retailers to do the right thing.

Digital and desktop touchpoints also do not exist in silos. Retailers who most effectively combine these two experiences are poised to build true, long-term loyalty among today’s shoppers. As the retail industry adapts to different digital engagement strategies, retailers must realize that what they communicate to shoppers through digital channels can also directly translate into and improve the in-store experience.

On the one hand, incorporating too many digital experiences at once can alienate traditional retailers. A rushed approach and poor implementation mean brands end up with siled digital and in-store experiences. I’m trying to combine these two later relationships into a messy and awkward experience. To create a good foundation, retailers can leverage the latest engagement tools to reinvent customer communications.

1. Improve communication with customers

The way sellers communicate with buyers is the foundation of the entire relationship with a given customer. To communicate effectively with customers, sellers must understand each buyer on an individual level, enabling them to identify their personal preferences. Promotional emails, text messages and push notifications are often the starting point for purchases, but these techniques are only effective engagement tools when they are tailored and personalized.

In the previous example of a shopper who prefers not to receive excessive push notifications and emails, retailers need to realize that a static approach will not attract this customer to the store. They are more likely to unsubscribe from alerts and emails, leaving the seller back in the spotlight.

With the right data-driven approach to personalization, a retailer can understand how often a shopper wants to communicate with them and, more importantly, what exactly will make them engage with their message. The retailer can also learn about the shopper’s preferred channel by providing communication that is typical of an omnichannel approach.

Targeted communications with promotions and offers on items an individual customer is most likely to purchase have been shown to increase customer engagement, visit frequency and overall spending. However, personalized customer communication not only benefits the retailer’s bottom line. It also makes the customer feel that the store is tailored to his or her individual needs, tastes and preferences.

Creating unique customer profiles that track individual preferences allows retailers to build true relationships with shoppers, creating a solid foundation for the overall relationship. This level of personalized engagement breeds brand loyalty and awareness, which makes buyers invest in a specific brand. From there, retailers will be able to use more advanced digital tools to truly improve the shopping experience.

2. Complement your digital experience with in-store browsing

It’s no wonder that in today’s digital age, almost half of in-store shoppers have used a smartphone to enhance their recent purchases. Once retailers connect with customers through a personalized touch, they can provide more advanced tools like seamless curbside pickup, in-store mapping, and even location-based promotional offers to encourage efficient shopping trips.

Data collected by retailers through personalization efforts can be used to improve the in-store experience that many shoppers still prefer. Many retailers do this through a branded app, designed to combine the digital sphere with a streamlined in-store experience. Using the device’s location or store location data collected in a shopper’s profile, the app can provide an interactive store map that directs shoppers to the aisles and areas of the store where they need to go.

Additionally, retailers can communicate directly with shoppers while shopping in-store to further streamline their journeys. Personalized coupons can be sent via app or text message when a customer is shopping, reminding them to use their unique savings. What’s more, retailers can automatically apply these discounts at checkout to ensure customers always take advantage of their savings.

3. Create next-generation loyalty programs

The combination of improved customer communication and seamless digital experiences allows you to create higher-level loyalty programs. Ultimately, customers will be loyal to retailers that offer them the greatest savings and most effective shopping experiences.

With almost every retailer today having a loyalty program, this battleground is ripe for innovation. For a retailer looking to start a loyalty journey or enhance an existing rewards program, combining personalized customer engagement with the latest in-store digital tools in one place is key to creating a program that truly stands out.

The best loyalty programs that engage customers in a unique and tailored way save the customer time and money without causing them any inconvenience. This, in turn, reinforces the brand’s commitment to individual customer needs and inspires true lifelong loyalty.

Building the right digital foundation

Just because retailers can engage with today’s digital customers at any time of day doesn’t mean they should.

Retailers must deliver a unified and seamless experience that puts the individual customer at the center. Starting with a solid, personalized foundation enables retailers to add digital layers that improve the overall experience and create true, lasting customer engagement.