What is a cross-channel customer experience?
A cross-channel customer experience describes how people interact with and experience a brand across multiple channels, such as email, SMS, physical stores and the online store.
Importance of delivering a cross-channel customer experience
In a world that is increasingly connected and where convenience and information reign supreme, consumers are increasingly interacting with brands on a multi-channel basis, switching instinctively between emails, apps, bricks-and-mortar, social media and websites. In fact, Fresh Relevance research found that 63% of consumers interact with at least two channels before making a purchase. And whilst consumers might go to different channels for different information and types of content, ultimately they expect a single cohesive brand experience that transcends channels.
We’ve teamed up with the experts at Antavo, Mapp and Yottaa to bring you a comprehensive guide to providing a conversion-boosting cross-channel customer experience, based on insights from our consumer research.
Download your free copy to learn more about:
- Types of cross-channel dynamic content to include in your marketing
- Building a cross-channel loyalty scheme
- Creating a cross-channel cart recovery program
- Taking your opt-out experience beyond email
- Optimizing the cross-channel retargeting experience
- Joining the dots between your online and physical stores with geotargeting
- Improving your site speed
Read on to discover 3 ways to improve your cross-channel customer experience and download our free eBook for an extensive set of practical tips and tricks from us and the experts at Antavo, Mapp and Yottaa.
3 ways to improve the cross-channel customer experience
There are plenty of channels for your brand to have a presence on, and lots of different cross-channel tactics to employ. Ultimately though, you should be guided by what consumers want. The following 3 tactics are based on insights from our research into what consumers are looking for from the cross-channel customer experience.
1) Dynamic coupons
A coupon can be one of the best incentives to make a purchase, especially one that is targeted (for example, a personalized coupon for highly engaged visitors who haven’t bought anything from your store yet).
1 in 4 consumers (and almost 1 in 3 Gen Z consumers) find it frustrating when a retailer sends them a coupon code but doesn’t show them the code anywhere on their website, so it’s important to use dynamic cross-channel coupons that seamlessly follow consumers from channel to channel.
2) Dynamic product recommendations
Product recommendations are an effective way to inspire customers with products that resonate with them, which in turn increases purchases and fosters loyalty. With data such as past browsing behavior and purchases, you can display highly relevant recommendations that reflect what the customer is interested in. If you don’t have any browse and purchase data for a customer, there are other ways you can tailor your recommendations, such as basing them on the weather or temperature in the shopper’s location. One way you can make use of this is to add weather-appropriate product recommendations to the checkout page to increase average order value, for example displaying umbrellas if it’s raining in the shopper’s location or sunglasses if it’s sunny.
Personalized product recommendations such as these are great when displayed on your website or in emails, but are even more powerful when shown across multiple channels, helping to reach shoppers with relevant content wherever they prefer to go for inspiration.
In fact, 20% of consumers get frustrated when a retailer sends them tailored emails but shows them the same website as everyone else. This is a greater concern for younger consumers, with more than 1 in 4 Gen Z consumers (26%) finding this frustrating.
3) Geotargeting
An individual’s physical location has a big influence on their interests and needs when engaging with your marketing emails or website. Using geotargeting, you can join the dots between your online and physical stores and tailor the customer experience to each individual based on where they’re located, ensuring they see the most relevant content to their current context. This in turn boosts conversion rates since it provides customers with the information they need to make a purchase decision.
More than 1 in 4 consumers (29%) are more likely to shop with a retailer that shows them in-store availability at their nearest store for products they are browsing on online channels.
Incorporating nearest store information on your website, mobile app, email, and wherever else consumers can shop with your brand online is an effective way to drive footfall to physical locations, as well as providing a more convenient customer experience.
Final thoughts
With consumers increasingly interacting with brands across multiple channels, marketers must deliver a consistent and tailored cross-channel experience to stay competitive. You can improve your cross-channel customer experience using the three tactics discussed here. Firstly, make sure your coupon marketing isn’t just done via email. Use dynamic cross-channel coupons that seamlessly follow consumers wherever they shop. Secondly, make your personalized product recommendations even more powerful by showing them across multiple channels, helping to reach more shoppers with relevant content. Lastly, display nearest store information on all of your online channels to drive footfall to physical locations and provide a more convenient customer experience.
These three tactics are just the beginning. Download our comprehensive guide to mastering the cross-channel customer experience for more tips and tricks.
