EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
JOHN LAMPHIERE , RVP EMEA & APAC , ACTIVECAMPAIGN
Judging by the uptick in Christmas adverts , retailers are trying to maximise sales for the last quarter of 2021 .
Thankfully the last 12 months have seen a brighter retail outlook than the year before with nearly 60 % of small-to-midsize businesses ( SMBs ) reporting growth . This has led to renewed confidence that 2022 will be a better year for retailers , but only if they capitalise on the opportunities that exist .
It isn ’ t enough to send vouchers on a customer ’ s birthday – they want to be wowed and feel unique rather than sold to . By building oneto-one experiences across multiple channels , marketers can benefit from increased engagement rates and the ‘ share ’ culture customers naturally exhibit when they feel passionate about the product , service or brand .
Technology allows businesses to create these one-to-one experiences through automation and save marketers time by bringing lots of tools and tech together .
For example , you can connect your brand ’ s SMS to your website marketing channel and have a text offer sent to your contacts when they show interest in a particular product on your website .
The pandemic accelerated e-commerce and forced many businesses to move online . Despite the initial challenges , many retailers benefitted from increased insights from their customers as a result and , in turn , were able to deliver more personalised experiences .
Although COVID-19 still lingers in the background , the return to high street shopping with fewer restrictions has started , but businesses need to consider how they bridge the gap between online and offline to create a personal experience for customers across multiple channels .
According to a study conducted by BCG : “ When the shopping experience was highly personalised , customers indicated that they were 110 % more likely to add additional items to their baskets and 40 % more likely to spend more than they had planned .”
Moreover , with supply chain and staffing concerns still likely to be a factor in 2022 , businesses need to focus on what they can control such as the customer experience .
Audience segmentation will also become more important as it allows marketers to create campaigns based on individual interactivity with the business . This could include providing relevant recommendations based on purchase frequency or patterns or perhaps even relevant educational content .
For example , a business selling plants could follow up with advice on plant care based on what a consumer purchased . Or a makeup brand could ask the consumer to volunteer information about their ethnicity to provide tailored recommendations that are the perfect fit for them .
Being able to curate this level of personalisation will give businesses the edge over brands that solely focus on generic emails that don ’ t speak to the consumer on an individual level .
As digital marketing continues to accelerate and businesses find new ways to innovate , marketers who don ’ t embrace the opportunity to curate one to one experiences will be the ones who get left behind . x www . intelligentcxo . com
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