In e-commerce and beyond the customers is the star of the show. In this issue of COLLOQUY, we explore ways to keep that top-of-mind.
There’s an expression that goes, “Everyone’s the star of their own universe.” Sure, we all define ourselves within many groups – families, co-workers, consumer demographics, neighborhoods, social circles, activists and volunteer movements and so on.
But when it comes right down to it, we all want to be known and understood as individuals. This is the crux of loyalty marketing, shopper engagement and elevated customer experience: understand consumers for their own unique habits, needs and quirks and provide tools and a strategy that help them create their own best experience. It’s a simple philosophy that’s quite complex to achieve.
In this Spring 2017 issue of COLLOQUY, we explore ways to create individual experiences for consumers, from smarter use of data and technology to aligning customer demands with evolving market forces. We delve particularly into the world of e-commerce – rife with both opportunities and challenges for effective engagement. Caroline Papadatos, Senior Vice President of LoyaltyOne Global Solutions, examines e-commerce in the grocery sector in our cover story, “Keeping Online Shopping on Track” on page 6. She finds opportunities for retailers to create better experiences by rethinking the tracking and order history functions online. In “How Grocers Can Bite Back” on page 36, Tom Colven, Senior Analyst of the Alliance Data Strategic Insights Group, looks at how the convenience of e-commerce is forcing marketers to rethink how they target shoppers. And Kirsten Burkard, a customer loyalty expert at Sweet Tooth Rewards, details how to launch e-commerce loyalty in “5 Steps to a New Loyalty Program” on page 10.
Additionally, Precima President Brian Ross explores the importance of personalization and relevancy in “Investing to Stay on the Leading Edge” on page 23. In “Destination: Personalization” on page 13, LoyaltyOne Global Solutions Partner Melissa Fruend looks at best practices for travel-industry leaders to drive long-term loyalty and profitability.
Creating emotional connections with customers is an important component of authentic engagement, as discussed in “Take Loyalty Way Beyond Transactions” on page 17 by Mike Oberle, Senior Director, Loyalty and Customer Experience, for Epsilon. On page 20, Emily Collins, Senior Analyst focused on loyalty at Forrester Research, recommends a better way to handle email marketing – one that doesn’t tick off your best customers.
Around the globe and across industries, consumers want to be known and treated like individuals. Companies that forget that key insight are bound to pay the price.
0 Comments