Optimised online visibility as a guarantee for success!

Even though the year 2022 was marked by the Corona pandemic, keeping up with digital trends has hardly lost its relevance. On the contrary: the need to offer products and services online has become greater than ever before. Along with this, the behaviour of customers has also changed significantly. Those who have practised correct tracking and professional web analytics in 2021, observed their own industry and analysed the behaviour of their target groups, are better prepared in 2022 than their competitors.

For many companies with multiple locations, hybrid models, i.e. the combination of online and presence offerings, remain a challenge. It is important that companies continue to support traditional channels while introducing new mobile and online offerings. Delivering a memorable customer experience across all touchpoints is key to business success. Our knowledgeable experts sharetips on how to best shape your online marketing strategy in 2022 to stay competitive, even in pandemic conditions.

To achieve sustainable growth and relevance in the market, companies need to recognise the motivations and behaviours of their customers and develop an appropriate, but preferably personalised, response pattern when consumers want to find out about, for example, flexible delivery times, "in-home" services or the possibility to contact you via SMS. The new recipe for success is called "hybrid", a constellation of virtual and personal work. It implies online technologies and traditional activities serving clients remotely and on-site. Only those who can meet consumer expectations across the entire online customer journey will emerge as winners. A successful hybrid customer experience starts online and leads to offline purchases in the end. The trust gained ultimately creates loyalty. The satisfied customer comes back to you next time and even brings a new customer.

Progressive and memorable. The power of augmented reality

One of the new trends in online marketing is augmented reality (AR), i.e. the interaction of digital and analogue worlds, which has become increasingly popular with customers in recent years and has become an integral part of e-commerce. The IKEA Place app, which allows users to virtually customise the products in their home, can be cited as a perfect example. More and more brands are turning to AR because they now realise that this tool can be relevant with consumers and increase their desire to buy. In an age where the consumer market has very high expectations, the immersive experience is a powerful statement.

Digital and personal interaction offers a clear advantage

Digitisation is advancing for many companies and will reach a new peak in 2022. Delivering an uninterrupted, stable and excellent hybrid CX means understanding the customer's wants, needs, pain points and brand perception. In addition to the hybrid models already in place (contactless payment, click-and-collect, etc.), there are some new additions for 2022:

• Google and Apple have simplified the search for desired products for their customers and offer the possibility to find out if the item they are looking for is in stock locally.
• The item you are looking for will be easier to find with your mobile phone. You can find out in which location of the big shops, grocery shops or warehouses you can get your desired product.

More quality and value for your customers

To make the customer experience unique, the digital and physical worlds are increasingly merging into one overall experience, with premises transforming into places for entertainment and exchange in addition to shopping, and creating even more excitement among customers. The so-called "store within a shop" model is well on its way to becoming an attractive trend, especially with retailers such as Levi's or Adidas who share their premises with other sports companies. In addition, more and more bookstores are collaborating with cafés to make the reading experience more enjoyable.

No optimal customer experience without personalised marketing messages

Whether your customers want to shop online, offline or hybrid, you always need to focus on seamless and more efficient means to make it easier and faster for them to find you. Yelnex's smart product is designed to help businesses manage the hybrid customer experience in a cohesive and connected manner.

Online and offline customer experiences are to be treated equally. Failure to balance or favour one of the two components misses the point. An online user only sees what is in the store window. If you manage to intrigue him with excellent service when he arrives and thus create a surprise, you will make the difference.

Summary

Digital marketing trends are constantly changing. While some best practices will always remain fairly stable, such as collecting and reviewing customer feedback, other parts of CX design, such as digital transformation, need to be rethought so that you can continue to deliver more enjoyable experiences and push the envelope when presenting your products. Therefore: never settle for your customer experience strategy and don't become complacent.

Source: Uberall GmbH