Before consumers literally had information available at their fingertips 24 hours a day, it was enough for salespeople hoping to close a deal to provide them with the main features and benefits of the product they were considering buying. That is no longer the case.
In today’s hyper-competitive business landscape, customers expect transparency, round-the-clock availability, real-time responses, and for salespeople to understand their specific needs and sell them a product or service to meet them. In other words, today’s consumers want more than ever. Brands unwilling to do the work to meet these demands can count on losing a high percentage of both current and potential customers to the competition.
Customers Expect Personalized Experiences
An impersonal, stick-to-the-facts business transaction is not what today’s customers desire or even find acceptable. Instead, they demand that brands produce a sales experience that speaks to their values while resolving a personal pain point at the same time. For marketers, that means tracking consumers at every stage of their buying journey and providing personalized offers along the way.
For example, a parent considering summer horse camp for their child might not be ready to commit to making a down payment just yet. Marketers can determine this by observing his or her actions before and after viewing information on the website. Responding to the parent’s online behavior of collecting information and reviewing it for a long time with an early-bird registration discount just might lead to a faster conversion or sway someone who wasn’t sure yet one way or the other.
Provide a Seamless Digital Experience
It’s frustrating for smartphone users to look forward to using an app only to download something slow and full of bugs. Before releasing a new application, developers should ensure that it’s personal and engaging in addition to being error-free. People don’t have time to wait for an app to give them information that they expect instantly and may not give a company with a faulty app another chance.
Integrated Data for Greater Insights
Three years ago, Salesforce initiated a new data-sharing partnership with Google to provide clients with a more collaborative experience when using products from both companies. This brought together cloud platform, marketing, and productivity tools that helped brands get to know their customers on a much deeper level. Increased marketing campaign engagement, better conversion rates, and huge time savings with administrative tasks are just some benefits reported by clients of Salesforce and Google. Conagra Brands is just one example. Similarly, Grouparoo’s data integration tools, such as Salesforce (https://www.grouparoo.com/integrations/destinations/salesforce), aid in the synchronization of data obtained from many sources.
Back in 2016 when it went by the name ConAgra Foods, Conagra Brands realized it needed to change its company image to something more modern as well as introduce new product lines its health-conscious consumers wanted. The company heavily utilized demand science data to create new products and processes with help from Google Analytics 360. It also changed its name to something a digital-focused customer based would identify with better. The tools available in this partnership enabled clients to see the exact actions customers took so they wouldn’t need to rely on their self-reported shopping intentions.
A commitment to learning who customers are is essential to compete in marketing today. Brands must accept and act on this reality as quickly as possible.