offerings including fruits , vegetables and ready-cooked meals .
The reality however is that online and in-store marketing are not stand-alone tactics , the two eventually have to fuse to offer customers a holistic experience of services and products . Online streaming services and meetings have so far not been able to wipe out the need for the human dimension of commerce and face-toface communication ; the same applies to customer experience .
Online web-rooms have effectively been used to showcase products , vehicles , electronics and clothing but eventually these are shipped to stores for the sale . The web-rooms are a good initial touchpoint , but the stores allow customers to touch-feel-see and purchase , alternatively they may choose to buy them from an online store at a later date .
This just goes to show how much convenience and ease our customers will expect in the coming days . We will no longer need expensive festivals to showcase products to customers , our stores may no longer see high footfall , but we must still make the products conveniently available to customers through the fusion of the two touch-points .
Organizations will also need to change |
how |
they |
communicate |
with |
their |
customers . While businesses have been |
strained , some may have been bombarding |
customers with too many customer |
relationship |
management |
( CRM ) |
messages . |
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Being home and occasionally having to interact with some of my service providers , I received endless SMS messages . One call to a new service provider to compare quotes is the beginning of a life-long daily SMS relationship that is difficult to disentangle oneself from . The many CRM messages marketing professionals ’ subject customers to are actually a point of irritation .
Businesses can incorporate WhatsApp messenger services to their CRM tools instead of the many and costly marketing promotion SMS messages sent to customers , majority of which go unread . LinkedIn may have realized this and has also started sending promotional messages directly to the DM instead of sending emails which increases the chance of at least glancing at the messages . IVR messages should also definitely be shorter and give the option to speak to
The reality is that online and in-store marketing are not stand-alone tactics , the two eventually have to fuse to offer customers a holistic experience of services and products . Online streaming services and meetings have so far not been able to wipe out the need for the human dimension of commerce and face-to-face communication ; the same applies to customer experience .
an agent in the shortest time possible or reroute customers to an online chat bot . Communicating to customers ’ better can definitely increase brand consideration , acquisition and conversion .
Swiggy , an online food delivery company in India partnered with Netflix to serve trailers to customers as they waited for their food to be delivered . The user would be prompted with a trailer at the end of their order on the Swiggy app to reduce customer irritation while also upselling Netflix . According to Swiggy , this made the customer wait time worthwhile . Despite this being a good strategy , the success of the distraction will only be relevant if a customer is familiar with the film or if the wait time is long enough for the food to arrive .
However , this is a good way to keep customers engaged as both brands share a similar target group . Companies that have the capability to reroute customers from IVR to web-based applications can easily take advantage of such innovations to ‘ reduce ’ customer wait time . Finding the right partner and right strategy is extremely important to change the way we handle routing CRM communication such as SMS , emails , and IVR communication .
As businesses shift strategically and take on new growth opportunities , many brands have been refined and redefined . Brands which stay focused on the original brand purpose while re-positioning the brand will help businesses meet the customer needs .
Companies like Netflix have realized that the OTT space they are operating in is shrinking and has a high threat of competition . The pandemic accelerated growth of online video platforms like Apple TV , Hulu and Disney +; and Netflix has discovered that soon it will not have any content to screen as an aggregator . Netflix has therefore begun producing their own films and specials to offer on their own platforms in the eventuality other players decide to offer their content exclusively on their own platforms . With Netflix originals , the platform is able to drive retention and acquire new customers .
In this regard , the brand is now focusing on meeting its customer passions in a broadening changing market . We all can find a new vision and change the course of our firms based on our observations and the challenges we experienced during the pandemic .
The past year has also brought local brands into a new limelight and won trust , relevance and hearts of customers . Local brands should lean into this existing loyalty to expand their business and grow at a granular level using community networks . They can take advantage of local sponsorships and local opportunities to grow their businesses . Local is a trend that is catching on as customers empathize with local businesses and support local growth .
As we get deep into the year , brands should remain agile , adaptable and nimble while keeping the focus on their brand purpose and values . This is also a good time to make the necessary adjustments to the business to align it to the changing marketplace and remain relevant , stay in tandem with customers and create the desired brand experience . Innovation will only increase post-pandemic and marketers should align their strategies , products and business goals to these trends to bring customers closer .
Diana Obath is a seasoned Public Relations and Communications Specialist . You can commune with her on this or related issues via mail on : ObathD @ gmail . com .